You Know I'm On Your Side
by whatcanpossiblygohere
Summary: Previously "This Afterlife Sucks...Kinda" She-He wouldn't leave them. Sh-he would be by their sides. If no one else was going to remember that they were children, then he would and he will do his damn best to make sure they're loved. He would be by their sides no matter what.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

I died.

I died and was born again.

I'm mean I don't mind much. Sure I was scared when I realized I was reborn but I've come to terms with it, for the most part.

Being born again and able to remember my past life including how I died isn't all that great. At times I wish I wasn't able to remember my old life, they bring me down if I think too much on it. Other times I'm glad because I don't want to forget, I don't want to lose that little part of me that used to be who I was before I was reborn.

My new life is different from my old one but no less filled with love. My father's a businessman and my mother's a florist. They're very nice and caring, always making sure I'm okay or if I need anything. I'm very grateful to have them as parents, so I do my best to help them with whatever problems they have and make sure they're happy. They worry about me sometimes, say I'm too quiet or too reserved at times. I can't help it, in my past life I wasn't much of a bubbly person and I tended to steer clear of anything that required too much interaction with people. The only times I was ever open was with my family and the few friends I had. My mother keeps saying that I need to get out more and make some friends. My father's been tempted to take me to work with him, which _no_.

So as to ease their minds, I've taken up babysitting the kids in my neighborhood and doing little odd jobs here and there. My mother thinks it's brilliant (and another way to keep an eye on me) and my father finds it useful that I'm making connections at such a young age, good qualities for a businessman to have so he says. They're happy that I'm doing something other than just going to school, doing chores, or just lazing about the house. I'm content with what I'm doing, I used to babysit for family in my old life, so kids are no problem for me. However, the odd jobs I do are interesting I've never done that before in my old life and it's interesting. Also, it's nice meeting new people, except the eccentric ones but they're nice too, most of the time.

I'm doing okay, I suppose. I could do without being a middle schooler again and the fact my hair is pink AND that I'm a boy, I mean, pink _really_ , am I in some kind of anime or something, yeesh. Bad enough that I'm a boy, god I fear for when puberty hits me, but having pink hair, really, talk about bully magnet, but I digress.

This second chance in life is quite nice, minus the few changes to my person but I'll live, life is normal which is good. Although I can't help but get this feeling that something big is going to happen…Ah well, a thought for another time.

* * *

 **So yeah…idk where I'm going with this but I have an idea, somewhat. This has been in my head for a while now and I know it's been done a million times already but what's one more SI or OC fic gonna hurt. It kinda hit me when I was reading one piece. I was like, 'what's going on in bleach? Last thing I remember is ichigo trying to regain his powers again or something.' So that lead me to looking for what's been going on in bleach and…yea got me pumped up to read bleach again (haven't started yet). Also these good fanfics I discovered while I was wondering what's been going on, so yeah this fic was born.**

 **The gist of this fic (gonna need to iron out some ideas, I mean I'm all over the place with this) is going to be the SI taking care of ichigo and his little rag tag group. He's gonna be their little safe haven, their go to person that they can confine in, their advice guru who doesn't know how to give advice for these kinds of situations but tries his best anyway, their go-to for comfort and shit.**

 **(I mean who lets kids go about doing this kind of shit, I mean he's fifteen too young bro, too young. I mean it was fun reading it when I was younger but now that I look back at what I can remember shit, someone please hug these children, comfort them tell them what the heck is going on their still young, I mean they can't figure everything out themselves. Like I want to swamp them in blankets and hot chocolate and pillows.)**

 **Anyway, I haven't decided if I want to give him powers or not, but he will be able to see hollows and spirits later on since he spends time with ichigo (since he release so much reiatsu it kinda rubs off on the people around him. Idk if this is canon or fanon but whatevs.) Also the first few chapters are going to be before ichigo mets rukia, so it's going to be a slow start.**

 **As always, comment, review, critique or whatever just hit me with what you got for this.**

 **As a safe precaution I don't own bleach or any of its characters, if I did they would probably be older so I can ship them with other characters and I won't feel like some kind of pedo for liking them.**


	2. A Day In the Life

A Day In the Life

*beep**beep**beep*

A groan came from the lump on the bed. It turned on its side before curling in on itself ignoring the alarm, hoping that it would shut itself off. The lump almost succeeded in going back to sleep, but alas a woman's voice interrupted its plan.

"Shi-chan! Hurry up and get out of bed! You might be late for school!"

Another groan escaped from the lump, before it sighed. It pushed away the covers to reveal a young boy. The boy yawed and slowly got up from the bed, stretching as he did so.

"Shi-chan! Don't you fall asleep!"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm up mom!" he shouted back, while turning off the alarm. He glared at it before beginning his morning routine.

Downstairs the woman shook her head before turning to her husband with a look. The man just sighed fondly. He would never understand how his son could ignore the alarm and just go back to sleep, but wake up before the alarm when he had something to do. The man took a sip from his coffee and looked up once he heard footsteps.

There at the entrance was the boy wide awake and ready to start the day. His uniform clean and smelling faintly of lavender. His pink hair was brushed, dark from the recent shower he had taken. His brown eyes shielded behind round glasses. A muttered good morning passing his lips, before he sat at the table.

"Shisui, are you going to be helping Kato-san today?" the older man asked.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, yeah. He hired two new bartenders recently, since the bar has been a bit busy lately. Today's their first day on the job, he's gonna have me show them the ropes and stuff."

"Oh? How? You've only been helping there recently haven't you?" the boy's mother replied.

"I have. Most days I go I'm usually in the back staking boxes or wiping the tables down and I finish those things pretty quickly. But on slow days, he's been having me behind the bar cleaning the cups and teaching me stuff. Don't worry he's not teaching me how to mix drinks or anything, just the names of them and what types of alcohols go in them and what's needed to make them. It's pretty cool. Says he's going to use me to quiz the bartenders on how much they know. 'Don't want no arrogant bartenders or know-it-all punks who think bartending is easy, ruins the bar.' he says." The boy replied, before taking a gulp from his cup of orange juice.

His father stared at the him before going back to his breakfast. Shisui wasn't one to lie about what he's been doing at the bar. He also didn't seem interested in drinking, which was good. The man nodded to himself, pleased. The pink haired boy didn't peg the man as someone who would drink when they were old enough. He seemed more the type to take you home after a night of drinking. He looked at his son again and made a face. Yeesh, that pink hair. Thank god it wasn't like his sisters—which was a whole different shade of pink—his was more pale looking, darker since he showered. That pink hair was really troublesome, he had hoped Shisui's hair would take after his wife's, a lovely shade of brown, but seems like genetics thought otherwise. Ahh well, he touched his own hair, can't escape genetics.

The mother smiled, happy that her son wasn't cooped up inside the house like usual. Although she wasn't so keen on her son knowing so much about alcohol, but she knows he son wouldn't sneak a drink. He didn't seem the type. She studied her son, taking in his eyes behind his 'grandma glasses'—as he likes to call them—his lovely pink hair, and his overall appearance. He was going to be a fine man as he got older, a bit short—curse her family's small stature, no one ever grew past 5'5'',5'6'' if some were lucky—and that hair, she glanced over at her husband's hair, was going to be trouble, well it already is. Teasing from classmates can really bring a person down, but her son seemed to be taking everything well. Brushing off any comments thrown his way and handling any confrontations maturely. She frowned a bit, he always seemed a bit too mature for his age. But then again she looked at her son, who was making faces at his father when he thought he wasn't looking, it's probably part of his charm.

"Shisui, aren't you going to be late?" she asked. Shisui looked at the clock and almost chocked on his toast. He quickly ate his breakfast, drank his juice, and shouted his goodbyes before bolting out the door.

* * *

The last bell rang, dismissing the class. Packing his things Shisui headed for the door, but was stopped by hand on his shoulder.

"Hey! Nishimura, don't think you can escape so easily from this group project. Just 'cuz we finished most of it at your house yesterday doesn't mean you can slack off." A red-headed girl demanded, frowning at the boy once he turned around. The brown-haired boy next to her sighed.

"Tanaka-san, Shizuka-san" Shisui smiled politely. "Sorry but you two are going to have to start the second part without me. I have somewhere to be this afternoon." He said.

"Yeah. Where, huh? Got a girlfriend or something? Gonna go see them?" she questioned, her eyes narrowing at the pink haired boy.

"Amaya-chan, don't be rude." Shizuka said.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend. I'm going to work, I suppose." The boy replied.

The red head scowled, while the boy next to her looked curious.

"Work?" the brown-haired boy asked.

"Yeah, I've started helping out at the _Grizzly Bar_. I don't usually go during school days, but things have been a bit hectic for Kato-san."

"Oh. Are your parents okay with this, you know, letting you work at a bar."

"Yea, they don't mind since I'm not there a whole lot and I only go before it opens to clean the tables and stack boxes." Shisui said. He looked at the red head.

"Hmph! You can go this time but next time we're paired up again, you better not slack off!" She replied before stomping out the door. Shizuka sent him a sheepish smile, before following after her.

He watched them go. _'Cute kids.'_

He resumed his way to the exit.

* * *

He made it to the bar with a few minutes to spare. He didn't enter yet, wanting to see the new employees before introducing himself. Peeking through the window—well the one he could reach—he saw a slender woman with red hair and a man who looked like he was about to fall asleep. Both were sitting in front of the bar. The woman facing forward, eyes roaming the shelves with interest and the man facing away from the bar, head resting on his chest and arms crossed.

"Spying on the new recruits I see." A voice said from behind the pre-teen, who jumped. Turning around he spotted a black-haired woman, smirking down at him.

"Hashimoto-san! You scared me!" Shisui said, hand on his chest and a small smile on his lips. Silently relieved that she was here, he didn't want to have to introduce himself alone and make small talk. God he hated that.

"Kid, I've told you to just call me Yuuko or Auntie or something. When you call me Hashimoto-san it feels like I'm talkin' to my grandmother or you're about to scold me, since you're so damn polite sometimes." She replied, ruffling his hair, before also peeking through the window.

"Tsk. Looks like we got a lazy bum and an overachiever. Talk about luck."

"Hashi—," the older woman glared at him "I mean, Yuuko-san don't be mean. They're probably nice people and it's good to have more people at the bar. Besides weren't you complaining all last week about doing so much work and not having any time off."

"But—" she was cut off with a smack to the head.

"Jeez brat I can hear you from inside the bar. If you were some kind of spy, you'd be dead." A gruff voice said.

"Ah! Kato-san."

"Damn old man! Hit me any harder and my head might fall off!" Yuuko growled, glaring at the older man.

"Good. I'm getting' tired of seeing your ugly mug every day." He turned to look at Shisui, ignoring the shout from the woman. "Shunsui, I thought I told you to call me Kenji. You practically spend most of your time here even if you don't have work."

The pre-teen smiled a bit. "Ka-Kenji-san, my name is Shisui." He replied.

"Ah."

"Jeez old man, at least get it right!"

"Oh shut up Yuuko. Both of you hurry up and come in, seems you caught the attention of the new kids." The older man said shuffling the two inside. The newcomers were openly staring now, curious to see their new coworkers. They had heard the loud shouts but could not see who it was with their new boss in the way.

"Listen up newbies, these two here are Hashimoto Yuuko and Nishimura Shunsui. If ya got a problem with them, particularly the dumb one over here, see me. Got it?" the old man said.

Hashimoto growled, glaring daggers at Kato as she bowed. Nishimura gave a small amused smile before bowing too.

"Himura Hibiki" "Tanaka Hitomi" the newcomers stated, bowing. The newcomers then sized their coworkers up and down, the other two doing something similar. The older one scowling at them, while the younger looked a bit more apprehensive.

"Question?" Himura asked, raising his hand.

"What?" was the gruff reply.

"Isn't Pinky over there a bit too young to be working in a bar." The man stated, staring at the kid.

"I agree, isn't it illegal to let minors in a bar." The red-haired woman stated as well, a fierce look in her eyes.

"Does it matter, he works here, he's good company, he's good at what he does, AND he makes the best damn dumplings you'll ever taste." Yuuko responded, her scowl deepening. If these two tried anything funny she wouldn't hesitate to throw a few insults or punches. I mean she was also kinda dubious about having the kid working here at first, but Kenji liked him well enough and he was good company, a little on the quit side, but still nice. That was enough for her; the dumplings were a bonus.

"It's fine. His parents already know and it ain't illegal. Kid only comes during preparation times or during lulls." Kato replied resting a hand on the kid's shoulder. Shisui relaxed, not having realized that he was getting tense.

Hiruma shrugged, not really caring just glad that he's getting the job. Plus, if he got to know the kid better he might even be able to get free food. Nobody passes free food. On the other hand, Tanka seemed unsure and looked like she was going to say something else, but decided against it. She would see how things would pan out.

Now that introductions were over, Kenji began to heard his employees behind the counter with him standing on the other side. He then proceeded to quiz the newcomers on everything and anything known to man about bartending. Having Shisui or Yuuko throw in some curve-balls every now and then. Both Hiruma and Tanaka were surprised to discover that the kid was well informed about bartending. Hiruma even complimented the pre-teen on his knowledge, the boy simply blushed and simply stated that he was still learning and wasn't that great. Yuuko smirked, ruffling his hair and Kenji just rolled his eyes. Sometimes this kid was too damn modest.

* * *

A few weeks passed and in that time, Shisui was able to know Tanaka and Hiruma a bit better. Tanka was much like her younger sister—he had wondered why she looked familiar—bossy and loud but more low-key about it. Though they didn't speak with each other much, they did find something in common to talk about if they got a chance; her younger sister. Tanaka very much adored her younger sibling.

("You know my little sister?" "Well not know know her, but we've had every class since we were young and right now we're currently doing an assignment together. She's very…charming." "I know isn't she cute! Her big eyes and her face and her attitude, isn't she just adorable!" the older woman gushed, hearts forming in her eyes. "Um…yeah.")

Hiruma was a very laid back guy and was funny. He didn't talk much during work hours but he was very good company during breaks, if he wasn't sleeping. Yuuko didn't like him, annoyed with his easy going attitude and that he sometimes slept when things were slow. Shisui liked that it was easy to get along with the older man, however the nicknames he could do without even if they were silly.

("Pinky." "Sakura-chan." "My little dumpling." "Cherry." "Pink Lemonade." "My favorite flavored gum." "Cotton candy." "That one ramen brand I like from that one store" "The fruit I saw at the market yesterday"

"OI! Would you quit with the nicknames you bastard, they're getting ridiculous and their not even that creative!" Yuuko growled. Hiruma just stared at her. He closed his eyes as if considering her decision. "Alright. Is it Shisui or Shunsui." "Shisui." "Shi-chan." "OI!" The boy in question just smiled, he knew the other meant no harms with the names, but…they were kinda lame.)

Working at the bar became a bit more fun for him, although he couldn't say the same for Yuuko. She complained and whined about the newbies, but he knew she was glad that they were here. He knew Kenji was grateful. The older man had been getting more tired recently and having help had certainly helped ease his mind.

Everything was alright. He went to school like always, put up with Tanaka- san's sister, talked a bit with Shizuka-san, went to the bar, and came home. Sometimes he would babysit the kids that lived a few houses down from him or would babysit his mom's friend's kids while they went out shopping, if he wasn't at the bar. It was difficult taking care of hyperactive kids between the ages of four and eight but, it was nice. It reminded him of the times he would babysit his little cousins when they came over, though these kids were much tamer. He did homework, he helped his mom around the house and talked with his dad. Everything was alright.

Life was fine.

* * *

Today I didn't have work which sucked. I would've gone over there just to hang out but things were probably hectic. I didn't have to babysit either which also sucked. Dad was at work, hadn't been home in a while. Something about a deal being hashed out with this up and coming foreign company, I think I can't remember. Mom had to go back to the shop, apparently some guy had bought every flower in the store babbling something about his wife.

I was home.

By myself.

Alone.

I sighed. As much as I love having the house to myself, I wasn't in the mood for quiet today. I wish we had a dog or a cat, but mom and dad were allergic to both. It sucked but it was kinda funny, I mean what are the chances of finding someone allergic to both cats and dogs. Hmmm…a thought for later.

I looked around my room, there wasn't much to see just…Ah! I have homework! My eyes fell on my desk, I made a face. I didn't feel like doing homework just yet.

"Ahhhh! There's nothing to do!"

I rolled on my side and looked out the window. It was pretty today, not a cloud in the sky. How dare today be such a nice day when I'm just here lying in bed with nothing to do.

' _I could listen to music, but it wouldn't be the same. Maybe I should go see Ma? Hmmm…no she's probably busy. Who orders so many flowers anyway? I mean it's a nice thing to do and it's good for business, but why. Maybe he's going to propose to her? Could be, could be…'_ I sighed again. _'I_ guess _I should get started on the homework.'_

I laid for a bit more in my bed before sitting up, taking my time before heading to the desk. Going to the bathroom, walking to the kitchen, to the living room, going outside and checking my mom's flowers, and walking up and down the stairs. Finally, I walked back upstairs and headed to my room but before I could sit at my desk I heard the door open. Quickly I headed downstairs and saw my dad.

' _Thank you procrastination!'_

"Hey Dad. How you've been? I missed you. How'd the deal go? Are you guys co-companies or something? Are you hungry? Should I get ramen to celebrate?" I said quickly, happy to see he was finally home and that I had something to distract me from homework. I walked over to him, spreading my arms open for a hug.

He chuckled. "It's good to see you too, Shisui. The deal went as well as you could imagine." He said tiredly, returning the embrace.

"Not good then? I'm sorry, wish there was something I could do. I know how hard your team was working to make sure everything went smoothly."

"It's fine. It wasn't that bad, things just got lost in translation. Turns out their translator wasn't that knowledgeable in Japanese and the representative didn't seem all that _enthusiastic_ to be there, if you get me."

I winced, "So what happens know?"

He sighed, "Well, our president talked to their president—told them what was going on—who apologized for the inappropriateness of his employees and…well their CEO is coming to do the deal themselves. But it's going to take a while before they actually come."

"Huh. Well I hope things turn out good…so is that a no to the ramen."

"No, it's not. By the way, where's your mother?"

"Back at the store. Some guy bought out the shop."

"Really? How exciting. Let's go eat before she gets back, then."

"Alright!"

We walked to a little restaurant not far from the house. They served really good ramen, their miso one was the best, Dad disagrees. We talked while we ate. It was nice. Halfway through our meal, Mom spotted us, scolded us and got herself a bowl. This…this was nice. I looked at my parents, they were laughing. I stopped eating and continued to stare at them. If I concentrated hard enough I could see a short petite woman teasing the burly man sitting next to her instead of the brunette and the pink-haired man. I could feel the beginning of tears starting to swell up in me.

"Shi-chan? Are you alright?" were the word that snapped me out of my hallucination. I looked at my mother, worry was in her eyes. I smiled, though I think it seemed a bit strained from the way my parents were looking at me.

"Sorry, I just remembered that I had some homework to finish."

My mother frowned, "Alright…"

"Don't worry Mom I'm fine. Just a little tired. Let's head home both of you must be tired from working hard." I said, hoping she would forget about it.

"He's right sweetheart. Let's head home, it's getting dark." My Dad cut in before my Mom could play twenty questions with me.

We finished the rest of the meal quietly. Dad picked up the check and we all walked home in silence. I sighed.

' _Well today was almost a good day.'_

"By the way Shi-chan. The man who came by the shop today needed someone to take care of his son for a few days, while his wife is in the hospital. I told him about you, said you were willing to babysit for him, told me he would think about it. Hope you don't mind." Mom said.

I looked at her. "Nah, it's fine. Did you give him the house number so he could call?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I gave him the house number. I'm not _that_ old you know. How else was he going to get a hold of you?"

"Ah, sorry." A sheepish smile came on my face.

We continued walking home, the silence surrounding us not so uncomfortable now.

"Ah, I almost forgot what was his name?"

"Hm? Oh. Said it was Kurosaki Isshin."

I stopped walking.

Thankfully we were already in front of the house, so I didn't seem like a complete idiot when I froze.

' _Kurosaki Isshin. Isn't that like Ichigo's dad or something…OH MY GOD! WAS I REBORN INTO THE BLEACH UNIVERSE!?OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD! Wait, wait, wait. Calm down, calm down me. Take some deep breaths, deep breaths…Okay. This could just be a coincidence, I mean Kurosaki Isshin is a common name, right? There are probably millions of others with that name. Like, I can't possibly be in the Bleach universe it's impossible and even if it was possible talk about one in a bajillion chance…it's probably someone with the same name. Ahh, I'm just working myself up over nothing.'_

But as I entered the house I couldn't help but feel that that was the reason my hair was pink.

* * *

 **Here's chapter 1. Isshin as well as Urahara and Shinji will be in the next chapter, hopefully I can do their characters well. Sorry for any grammatical errors.**

 **The title of this chapter is A Day in the Life by The Beatles.**

 **I might change the title of the story; I was never good at titles.**

 **So what y'all think of the other ocs you'll be seeing them frequently as well as some others. Don't worry they won't get in the way. Their just there to keep Shisui from getting lonely and to worm their way into his heart and to help him come to help him deal with his rebirth even though they don't know it yet. There will be more of that in later chapters, don't worry. But I won't make this completely serious serious cuz I don't like sad tragic stories, even though their really good to read and make me cry a lot.**

 **Most scenes will be taking place either at the bar or at home. Some scenes will be at school, but most of the time Shisui will be at the bar and home since that's where he hangs out the most.**

 **How Shisui came to work in a bar is really simple actually, at first it wasn't supposed to be a bar just a restaurant, but my mind was like no make it a bar so a bar it is. Anyway the way Kenji met Shisui is Kenji is friends with the owner of the flower shop that Shisui's mom works at said owner said how one of his coworker's kids was looking for work, he decided to see what the kid had so he said he would like to see the kid. also it was getting difficult managing the bar with only him and Yuuko so yeah. Was surprised to find it was just a kid like a literal kid but he hired him anyway. Liked that he didn't complain and followed directions so he kept having the kid over until Shisui decided to bring dumplings then his fate was sealed. Kenji hired the kid permanently, he hogs him up and keeps away other who are interested in Shisui. So know Shisui works at the bar with a side of babysitting if he's not at the bar; the older man likes it that way, Yuuko thinks he's getting senile.**

 **Thanks to** **for favoriting and following this story.**

 **Thanks to whoever else is reading this.**

 **Comment, review, critique or whatever you think about this story.**

 **I don't own Bleach.**


	3. Blessing In Disguise

Blessing In Disguise

He was right.

Lord was he right.

Why the heck was he right.

He groaned. _'God why have you forsaken me? Or is it Soul King why have you forsaken me? Ugh Whatever.'_

The pre-teen wasn't in the mood to panic or think of all the possibilities that arouse from this once in a lifetime situation. Though, he was taking the fact that he was in the Bleach universe rather well, probably because it hadn't sunk in yet.

At least meeting Kurosaki Isshin was…interesting.

 **-Earlier this Afternoon -**

The ex-shinigami was quite surprised to see a boy in front of him and his wife. He had thought, from the way his mother had described him, the boy would be a bit taller and older. He didn't imagine a kid fresh out of elementary, with pink hair and being super polite. He took a peek at his wife, who was apparently smitten with the kid from the way she was treating him. Well if Masaki liked him, then he wouldn't mind. The kid didn't seem all that bad anyway. Besides they needed to find someone they could both trust with Ichigo. He couldn't keep the clinic closed forever and he couldn't be here or with Ichigo all the time. Said boy was currently sleeping on the chair next to his mother's bed. Hopefully he wouldn't be upset with having a stranger taking care of him.

"So Shisui-kun what do you think of my son Ichigo? Isn't he just the cutest thing!" Masaki happily asked. It was nice talking to someone else besides her husband or one of the nurses. To be frank she was getting bored sitting in bed all day, with nothing but magazines as entertainment. So meeting the potential babysitter was quite fun. The kid was cute, all shy and polite with glasses hiding big brown eyes. Oh! And that pink hair was just adorable. I mean, who has pink hair? She would have to ask.

"Ah…He _is_ quite cute. Love his hair." Was the shy reply.

"HAHAHAHA! No need to be shy Shisui-kun!" the older man exclaimed, pounding the poor kids back making the kid stumble a bit. "It's okay to say it! My son is the CUTEST kid in the entire world! HAHAHA! He outshines all other kids!"

Masaki laughed and Shisui gave an awkward little smile. The older man grinned.

"My wife is also the most BEAUTIFUL woman I have ever met. Others pale in comparison to her beauty! Tell me boy, is she not the most gorgeous woman you have ever met!" He boasted proudly, making exaggerating gestures towards his wife.

"Ahh…"

"Now, now Isshin calm down. You're going to wake up Ichigo with all that noise. Besides you should be saving all that energy for the girls." Masaki turned to Shisui, "Tell me Shisui-kun, are you good with babies? Seeing as we're going to be spending time together very soon." If he knew how to take care of babies, she was sold. Twins, she had had twins. Even with her and Isshin it was going to be difficult looking after kids under the age of five. Especially Ichigo since he had to go to the dojo and always looked for her.

"Um, yes. Once when Honda-san and her husband had gotten a cold, they asked my mother to take care of their daughter since they didn't have any close relatives nearby. I helped where I could when my mother was tired."

"Hmmm…how long were they sick?"

"A week. When she has time Honda-san comes to visit us. She always brings Hina-chan with her since the little one gets happy when she visits."

"Aww. Cute!" Isshin and Masaki said in unison. The pink-haired pre-teen blinked. He did not need to see a grown man make that expression.

"I just gave birth to two adorable little girls, Yuzu and Karen. Unfortunately, there with the doctor, but I'm sure you'll see them soon." Masaki said.

Just then a small sound came from the chair near the bed. The boy that was previously asleep was now awake rubbing his eyes. As fast as lightning Isshin scooped up the boy and twirled him around, all the while spouting gibberish.

"Isshin put Ichigo down! You're going to make him cry!" the woman scolded. The bearded man did as he was told, mumbling something about how cute his son was waking up.

"Mama!" the boy said brightly, quickly running up to his mother. Helping him get on the bed, Masaki hugged her son.

"Hey sweetheart. Had a nice nap?" the young boy nodded. "Mama come home?" he asked, giving his mother big eyes.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I still can't go home yet."

"Why? No better?"

"Yes. Don't worry Ichigo I won't be in here forever, but while I am here, someone's going to take care of you when Isshin can't. Is that okay?" the mother asked. The young boy pouted. He didn't want anyone to take care of him, except his mother. Why can't his Dad do it? He looked up at his mom noticing that she still looked a bit tired but had a warm expression on her face. He pouted further. He _guessed_ it was okay.

"Okay." She smiled happily at her son. Turning to the pre-teen she motioned him over near her hospital bed. Ichigo noticed her actions and turned to look at who her mother was calling.

"Sweetie I want you to meet Shisui-kun." She introduced. Said boy gave a small wave.

"Hi Ichigo-kun. I hope we get along." The boy said softly.

Ichigo hid his face in his mother's hospital gown bashfully.

"Now, now my son! There's no need to be shy! Shisui-kun will take good care of you when I can't. He will take you to the dojo, to the zoo, to the store, to anywhere your heart desires! My adorable son!" Isshin exclaimed loudly, twirling around before striking a pose with sparkles and stars spewing from nowhere. Shisui blinked, he didn't need to see that either. Man that is weird.

Ichigo glanced at the older boy, noticing his hair first, he blurted out, "Sakuras!" before blushing and hiding his face further in his mother's gown. The three occupants stared at the young boy. Masaki and Isshin began to laugh while Shisui gave a small smile.

"You can call me that if you want, I don't mind. I have a friend who calls me that sometimes." Shisui said smiling down at the future substitute shinigami.

Ichigo peeked at the older boy again, shyly shaking his head no.

Seeing as the young boy wasn't going to say anything, the pink-haired pre-teen proceeded to recount his day with exaggerated hand gestures and voices. He told the young boy about his two classmates and how they always seemed to be in the same class with him no matter what, which was nice but he wished that Tanaka-san would stop glaring at him every time class began and all throughout it until school ended. He told him about how the friend who called him Sakura and how he sometimes slept in weird positons and how his other friend Yuuko always got mad whenever she found him sleeping in strange places. The pink-haired boy told him about his parents, told him how his Dad also had pink hair, mostly everyone on his Dad's side had a different shade of pink as hair color. How his mom was a florist and could do some cool stuff with flowers, like making crowns and necklaces. He told the boy how his mom was really cool cause she taught him how to make crowns out of flowers and all the really long funny names that most of the flowers had.

Slowly the young boy turned to face the older boy, curious about what he was talking about. He giggled at certain parts. However, when Shisui started talking about his mom, Ichigo cut him off and began babbling excitedly about his parents too, mostly about his mom. Shisui smiled, glad that he was able to get the kid to talk. Soon both of them were having a serious conversation about their moms, well it would be serious if Ichigo didn't look adorable frowning and Shisui didn't look like he wanted laugh. All the while the parents of Ichigo looked on, amused at what they were talking about. They interrupted once only to tell the pink-haired boy if it was okay for him to start tomorrow, the boy nodded his head. Isshin and Masaki were glad that Ichigo was opening up to the boy, now they wouldn't have to worry about who would take care of Ichigo when things were busy.

Time flew by and soon visiting hours where over. Isshin bid his wife farewell—tears falling down his face like a waterfall and dramatically draping himself over her legs—Ichigo gave his mom a kiss and a hug, and Shisui bowed, thanking her for allowing him for being able to meet her family. She and Isshin laughed. The older man pounded his back, while his wife smiled, saying that they were glad to have met him. The three males soon left bidding the woman goodbye.

Outside the hospital Isshin bid Shisui goodbye but before the boy could leave, Ichigo stopped the older boy. He looked at the ground and played with his shirt for a bit. Finally, he looked at the older boy and shyly asked if it was okay to call him 'Saku-niichan' to which the older boy replied with an affirmative.

 **-Currently-**

While meeting Isshin was weird, from what he vaguely remembered the anime didn't do his dramatics justice, talking to Masaki was interesting. From what he remembered they never said much about her except how she died protecting Ichigo and that she was a kind woman, so meeting her was both strange and exciting. Seeing Ichigo as a child was too much. The kid was too damn adorable and when he got excited. His heart stopped for a minute.

Of course this didn't stop him from wondering how weird it was talking to fictional characters face to face. They weren't so fictional anymore. However, this brought many things to mind:

The first being that he remembered most of what was going to happen; Ichigo meeting Rukia, Masaki's death, Ichigo and co rescuing Rukia, Aizen's betrayal, and Ichigo losing his powers defeating Aizen. These points being the main things that happened in both the manga and anime. Even if it had been a while since he had read or watched Bleach, he could still remember some key points.

Which brought the second thing to mind, he was unsure if he was in the manga or the anime, if he was in the anime then there where the fillers episodes and movies to consider since the manga didn't include them. But it was too early to find out if he was in either anyway. Right now he had to focus on the here and now. He would worry about those things when the time came. Besides he didn't think it would help to plan ahead anyway. With him here things were bound to change. He was an oddity, an odd variable in an equation that already had all the facts. He was either that or heaven or whatever deity up there was bored. Either way he was here and he wasn't going anywhere. AND he wasn't going to leave Ichigo and his friends to what destiny, fate or whatever had planned for them. They needed an adult damnit! Or at least someone who was going to be there for them when they got hurt or felt down. Does 'a helping hand' mean nothing or something? Or, or is it 'You have reached level fifteen! Congratulations! You are now able to defeat an army of arrancar and an idiot who thinks himself a god! You gain experience if you are emotionally compromised or don't ask for assistance.' Like, _come on_.

Anyway, back on topic, the third thing would be the current residents of Karakura Town. He was bound to run into Urahara at some point, hell he might've even passed his shop at some point, who knows. He didn't know if the Visored lived in Karakura or not. He knew they had some kind of base on the outskirts of the town, but he wasn't too sure. Whatever he'll find out eventually. Chad wasn't even in Japan yet; Ishida was…somewhere…Hmmm. Know that he thought about it he didn't know where Ishida or Orihime were. Do they even live in Karakura? He vaguely recalled Orihime running away with her brother from abusive parents and Ishida always hanging out with his grandpa before they killed him. But he didn't know when these two things occurred. He cursed the manga. Or should he curse himself for not remembering? Whatever. At some point he was going to meet them and when that time came he would make sure to get to know them.

The fourth thing would be… it would be…what was it again? Ah, right! Save up money for first aid stuff, medicines, and anything else that is needed when there is bodily harm. Maybe invest in building a safe haven or something…meh. Learn how to fight or some form of self-defense? No. He had never been one to hurt others either with words or with fists and he couldn't bring himself to critically harm someone even if that person was going to harm him. He would just make do with what he was good at, which was making sure the people he cared about where okay.

Lastly he would make the best of what life threw at him.

He nodded.

Now that that was out of the way, he would begin making the dumplings for work. He needed to tell Kenji-san that he wouldn't be able to go to work for however long he was going to be helping the Kurosaki family. Hopefully the older man wouldn't mind.

* * *

When he thought he was going to bump into Urahara or the Visored at some point, he didn't think it would be this soon. Hell, he didn't think he would.

"Shisui-kun? What are you doing here?" Isshin asked, giving the boy a curious look. At his left was Urahara and on his right was Shinji. Next to the blonde was another blonde, a guy with an afro, and a woman wearing glasses. The two ex-shinigami and the four Visored members where sitting at the bar counter, two bottles of sake and a bottle of wine in front of them. All were giving the pre-teen curious looks.

' _Shit'_

"Ah, Kurosaki-san. Well…" The boy began, giving the older man a nervous smile. Thankfully before he could explain he was interrupted by Kenji

"Shunsui! Good timing, go help that idiot Yuuko with those damn boxes. I swear that damn woman is going to kill herself one of these days with the way she's organizing those things!" Kenji growled, coming to Shisui's rescue though the owner didn't know it.

The young boy gave a relived sigh. "Yeah, okay. Here Kenji-san your dumplings, hope you like them." He answered, walking up to the bar counter and handing the older man his food.

"Thanks, brat." Was all he said before disappearing to wherever the hell he had appeared from.

"Aren't ya a bit ta young to be workin' here, kid?" questioned the Visored leader.

Shisui jumped a bit, nervous that he was being addressed. "Ah…yes, but I'm just here on most weekends and I'm only here before opening hours. And even then not long."

"So, how'd ya come about workin' here?" was the next question from the blonde's mouth.

"My mother, she was talking to her boss one day and they mentioned how their friend was short-handed. At that time, I was mostly cooped up in the house so my mom thought it would be a good idea for me do some kind of labor so here I am. Although I don't think she intended for me to work in a bar." Technically it was his idea to look for work, but they didn't need to know that. Besides the stares they were giving him were making him uncomfortable.

"Are you looking for another job?" Urahara spoke up, giving a cheery grin. "I seem to be short-handed as well and you're not here most of the time, so how about it? Would you like to work in a candy shop?" he continued cheerfully ignoring the sharp look Isshin gave him.

The boy blinked. "…umm not now? Sorry, right now I'm going to be helping Kurosaki-san and his wife, so I won't have time to do anything else and I also have school."

The ex-captain pouted. Shisui cringed inwardly. He did not need to see the older man make that face, it looked weird. A crash was heard from the back. Soon followed by shouting. Shisui winced.

"Sorry sir, but maybe next time." He gave the man a small smile, "Thank you for coming to Grizzly Bar. I hope you enjoy your drink." He bowed before quickly going to the back, hopefully Yuuko wasn't hurt and he would get there before Kenji.

Those at the bar counter watched him go.

"So, what do you think of him? He seems okay to me. I had a background check done on him and his family, nothing seemed strange or suspicious. I don't think he's in cahoots with Aizen. Although him working here was a surprise." Isshin said, looking at his drinking partners.

"Cute kid." Was Love's response.

Rose hummed his agreement.

Lisa shrugged.

"Pity he didn't take my offer; it would've been fun to tease him." The hat wearing man said sadly. As though being deprived of teasing someone was a great loss.

Shinji just rolled his eyes. "The kid probably gets enough teasing with that hair. I mean, _pink_. Poor squirt."

That comment started an argument on the kids pink hair and whether it was real or fake. Ridiculous and inappropriate theories where brought up. Some were discarded while others where woven into outrageous stories.

Isshin just sighed.

* * *

"Shi-chan, Boss came in with dumplings earlier. What about me? Don't I get dumplings?" was what greeted the pink-haired boy's ears once he entered the back room. 'Shi-chan' heaved a big sigh, meeting most of the Visored and Urahara had gone well, well hopefully it went well. He was kinda nervous when talking to them and the staring didn't help. Hopefully they hadn't noticed his uncomfortableness.

"Don't worry Hiruma-san, I made dumpling for everyone." The boy said, giving the sleepy man a distracted smile. Out of all the places he would meet any of them or anyone from this world in general, it was a bar. Not just any bar but the one he worked at. He sighed. Well what's done is done, they now know he's working here. He hoped they didn't intend to make the bar their favorite place to get drinks. He didn't think he was ready to deal with talking to more fictional, now real, characters yet. He _prayed_ that Urahara wouldn't come here frequently to come see him or somehow get the idea of stalking him. The man had a weird look on his face and it was freaking him out during the whole conversation.

A loud thud was heard, he sighed. The pre-teen made his way to the storage room quickly, grabbing the first aid kit just in case.

Shisui caught sight of Yuuko under a pile of boxes, cursing up a storm. The boy smiled fondly. Yuuko had never been one for organization.

"Yuuko-san are you alright?"

"Does it look like I'm alright, idiot!" she growled.

"Don't be rude, Hashimoto. Nishimura-san was just making sure you weren't hurt." Came the muffled reply from Tanaka, who was somewhere on the other side of the room.

"Tanaka-san are you alright?" the boy asked. It appeared that while he was distracted with talking to the others she had come to help Yuuko but it looked like things didn't go well.

"Yes, I'm fine though I think I'm going to bruise a bit." Shisui felt bad, maybe if he had hurried the conversation he would have been able stop Tanaka from getting hurt.

"Don't worry about it Shisui. It was probably going to happen anyway, even if you were here. You know how I hate organizing shit."

Tanaka snorted, "It's a miracle how you've been able to live alone for so long."

"What was that you damn red-headed bitch!"

Shisui sighed. He put the first aid kit down and made his way over to Yuuko, who was now throwing insults at Tanaka. He began to remove the boxes that were on top of her and putting them somewhere they wouldn't disturb him or the other two. He then walked over to help Tanaka, who was now taunting Yuuko. He rolled his eyes. These two, always trying to one up each other, couldn't they just get along. Ignoring the two squabbling women, he began to organize the boxes in a way so that it would be easy to maneuver in the room and remove them if needed.

Task completed, he walked out of the storage room, the two women following behind him, still throwing insults at each other. He turned around to face the two.

"If you two don't stop, I'm not going to give you the dumplings I made for both of you. Instead I'm going to give them to Hiruma-san and Kenji-san."

That seemed to grab the attention of both of them.

"Wao, Cherry. So fierce, so cruel, so tough." Hiruma drawled from the other side of the backroom, amusement dancing in his eyes. The pink haired boy rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Be quiet Hiruma-san."

"Wah, so mean."

Shisui laughed. The older man smiled, he had noticed that the boy looked a bit nervous when he entered.

"So, who were those people you were talking to Nishimura-san? One of them seemed to know your name." Tanaka asked, she had seen that one of them had recognized the boy, before leaving to help Hashimoto.

"Ah, you could say that." He replied, humor lacing his voice.

"What? Who?" came the confused reply from Yuuko, mouth open to reveal to everyone in the room her half-chewed dumplings. Tanaka gave her a disgusted look.

"Close your mouth before you talk Yuuko." Shisui half-heartedly scolded. She just shrugged. He shook his head.

"Anyway yesterday my mom met this guy at her job who needed someone to take care of his kid and help his wife once she got out of the hospital. Today I met his wife and his kid, who was cute. We talked a bit, got to know each other and it was decided that I would start babysitting tomorrow. I don't know when Kurosaki-san's wife gets out of the hospital, but when she does I'm going to be helping her around the house when her husband can't. So I need to tell Kenji-san that I won't be around for a while. But don't worry I'll make time to see you guys."

"Hmmm." Was all Hiruma said.

Yuuko nodded sagely.

Tanaka gave him a curious look. "You babysit?" the red head asked.

"Yeah. If I'm not here I'm sometimes babysitting for neighbors or my mom's friends."

Just then the door leading to the outside was opened and Kenji's head popped in. He scowled at the four. "If all of you got time to talk then you certainly have time to serve drinks. Hurry up and get up brats!"

The older ones groaned and the younger one chuckled. Slowly Yuuko, Tanaka, and Hiruma made their way outside. Shisui doing the same before being stopped by Kenji. He looked up at the older man.

"Shunsui, it's getting late so I'll walk you home. You have school tomorrow right?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. By the way I'm going to start babysitting this kid tomorrow is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. With those three brats manning the fort and me commanding them, things won't be so crazy."

"Okay. Thanks. I just wanted to make sure since I'm going to be taking care of the kid for a while."

"Don't worry about it brat."

Kenji ruffled the kid's hair, before opening the door wider to let the kid through. Both headed to the front, where the older man told the three he was taking the boy home. All three nodded before wishing Shisui a goodnight.

Kenji and Shisui walked out the door and continued their trek to the young boy's house. This was common for them. When the pink haired boy worked late, the older man would walk him home. Sometimes it would be Yuuko but most of the time it was Kenji who made sure the kid got home safe. At first Shisui had refused, stating that the other didn't need to trouble himself. Kenji had just stared at the boy before slapping him upside the head and informing him that if he had a problem with it then too bad. Shisui had stared at the older man, trying to convey that he was going to be alright walking by himself. Kenji had just looked unimpressed. So know they walked together.

Sometimes they talked, other times they would walk in silence. Their walks were usually quiet, but not uncomfortable. Tonight seemed to be one of those nights. The older man's longer strides were troublesome for the pre-teen since he had to sometimes jog to walk besides him. At times the older man would quicken his pace just to watch the other struggle to catch up. Shisui hated it when he did that. This continued until they reached Shisui's house. Kenji smirking down at the boy and Shisui glaring at the older man. He huffed before opening the gate. One day he would get revenge, one day.

"Brat, don't be gone long or else those brats, Yuuko and Hiruma, will start to whine 'bout missing you." The older man said gruffly, before wishing him a goodnight. Shisui nodded. Telling the older man goodnight and to be careful on his way back to the bar. The older man just waved before walking back the way they came.

Shisui sighed, turning to walk to his front door.

Tomorrow he would start babysitting Ichigo. Hopefully he wouldn't bump into any of the Visored or Urahara, hopefully. But he highly doubted it.

* * *

 **Here's chapter 2. Hahaha, instead of it being Isshin, Urahara, and Shinji. It became Isshin, Urahara, Shinji, Love, Rose, Lisa, Masaki, and Ichigo. Gah! I had trouble trying to see how they would talk and act, even went on bleach wiki to read their personalities. Hope I did them justice. I had a bit of difficulty trying to do Ichigo (I had difficulty trying to do all of them even though most of them didn't talk. hahaha) since he's a little kid. I kinda went off on my own experience with babysitting little kids.**

 **Next chapter will be Shisui babysitting Ichigo and maybe a glimpse of babies Yuzu and Karin.**

 **Title of this chapter is Blessing In Disguise by DeVotcKa**

 **Comment, review, critique or whatever you think of this story.**

 **Thanks to those who favorited and followed the story.**

 **Thanks to whoever else is reading.**


	4. Us

Us

This was it.

Today was the day.

Today he started babysitting Ichigo. He was kind of nervous. He knew he shouldn't be; he's taken care of younger kids around Ichigo's age before. Hell before he was reborn he was the go-to person for babysitting. He used to complain and groan about it, but he was secretly glad. Well until they got into trouble, then all gladness was gone. Maybe it was because this kid was different, I mean it was Kurosaki Ichigo future substitute Shinigami and Visored the one of a kind human. So yeah he was kind of a big deal in the future but now he was just a kid. Maybe it was because he would probably become someone Ichigo would fight to protect, he would become one of his precious people. Or maybe it was because his dad was Isshin who was friends with Urahara and the Visored, and if anything where to happen to Ichigo Shisui would be dead before he knew it. Yeah that was probably it.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He knocked on the door. From inside the house a muffled 'coming' was heard before loud footsteps neared the door.

It opened to reveal Isshin who smiled once he saw the young boy.

"Shisui-kun! Good timing, I have to go do a supply run for the clinic so I won't be back for a while." The man said, ushering the boy into the house.

"Kitchen's over there, bathroom's upstairs to the right, there's food in the fridge if Ichigo gets hungry or you don't matter, Ichigo's upstairs taking a nap he'll wake up soon he's in the room across from the bathroom, here's the spare key to the house and here's money if both of you want to go out. Alright! Thanks for your help! Bye!" the man said cheerful heading out the door. Shisui watched the man go, trying to make sense of what the other had just said.

Once he understood what the other said, the boy left the money he was handed on the kitchen table and made his way upstairs. He looked at the photos that were hung on the walls as he went up. Most of them were of Ichigo as a baby or of Ichigo and his parents. They all looked happy. It reminded him of the family photos that hung in the living room in his house. It also reminded him of his old family and the photo albums that were filled to the brim with embarrassing photos of him, his siblings, and other relatives. The pink-haired boy shook his head. Now was not the time to have his thoughts go there.

At the top he saw the bathroom door and the door across from it. He headed towards the left, slowly so he wouldn't wake up the boy, he opened the door and peeked inside. There on the bed was Ichigo sound asleep hugging a plush lion.

' _AWWWWW!'_

Softly he closed the door but not all the way so that if the Ichigo woke up he could hear him. Shisui made his way downstairs making a beeline to the kitchen table. He had no idea what to do know. He could watch TV but his show wasn't on and most of what he liked watching didn't even exist yet. He hummed. He should have brought a book or homework to pass the time but he usually didn't in case he forgot to take it home with him when he was done babysitting.

' _I guess I'll just sit here till Ichigo wakes up.'_

And he did just that. He just sat there and waited for Ichigo to wake up. He wondered what they should do once Ichigo woke up but left it for when the boy woke up. He looked around the kitchen and admired the tiles on the floor and the color of the cabinets.

' _It's nice. This is a nice kitchen.'_

He felt like he was waiting for an eternity but it was actually only fifteen minutes. He heard shuffling from upstairs and quickly made his way to Ichigo's room. He wasn't rushing because he was bored, he just wanted to make sure Ichigo was okay, yeah that was totally it.

He knocked on the door to let the boy know he was coming in.

Ichigo was currently trying and failing to detangle himself from his blankets. The pink-haired boy approached the orange-haired boy and helped him. Once done the Ichigo instantly grabbed onto the older boy. Shisui looked down and saw that other was still half-asleep. He smiled.

"Hey Ichigo-kun. You need to use the bathroom?" the older boy asked softly. The kid nodded. Gently he picked up the four-year-old and headed to the bathroom. He realized something once they were inside the bathroom.

"Um, Ichigo-kun do you need help using the toilet?" he asked.

"Mno." The boy said sleepily.

"Do you want me to wait for you outside?"

"Mno."

"Okay. I'm just gonna turn around okay." Shisui said turning to face the door. He didn't feel awkward doing this, sometimes the kids he was babysitting asked him to go to the bathroom with them, usually too scared to go alone. He would accompany them either all the way inside the bathroom or wait outside until they asked for his help. So he stared at the door and ignored the little tinkle that came from behind him. When he heard the toilet flush he turned back around and helped Ichigo wash his hands.

"You hungry?" a nod.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Banana."

"Sure." They headed downstairs, where Shisui sat Ichigo in one of the chairs and went to get him his banana and some apple juice. Ichigo still half-asleep, watched the older boy rummage around the kitchen looking for his food. He wanted to go back to sleep but he wanted to visit his mom today too. It was lonely without her here. He missed her smiles that shined brighter than the sun, the kisses that gave him a warm feeling in his tummy, and the hugs that made him feel like he was wrapped in sunlight. He missed her and he couldn't wait for her to come home.

"Mama."

"Hm?"

"Mama. I want to see my Mama."

"Alright, but finish your banana and apple juice first okay. Then we'll go." The older boy said, watching as Ichigo began to eat the food he had laid down in front of the boy. If they were going to visit Masaki, then he should buy some kind of snack on their way over there since they would probably be there awhile and maybe some flowers too.

"Ichigo-kun you want to buy some flowers for your mom on the way to the hospital? Maybe we can also buy a treat to eat with her. I'm sure she's getting tired of hospital food." Shisui suggested. The boy brightened nodding his head vigorously. His banana and apple juice forgotten as he made to get out of his chair. But at the insistence of the older boy he stayed put and finished his food.

Making sure that Ichigo was eating, Shisui headed quickly upstairs to get Ichigo a change of clothes for now and for later just in case he got dirty on their way to the hospital and stuffed them in a backpack he found near Ichigo's bed. He checked his pockets; the house keys, his house keys, and his own money he had brought with him in case a situation like this occurred and a bit extra just in case. He wouldn't be taking the money Isshin gave him, that could be used for more important things. Quickly he headed downstairs. He rummaged the kitchen for kid friendly snacks, some water bottles, and napkins. He put these things in the backpack too once he found them and then looked at Ichigo. Shisui nodded, Ichigo was done eating his banana and he was finishing his apple juice. Heading towards the sink, Shisui wet a paper towel. The boy wiped Ichigo's face and hands, ignoring the face the other was making at being cleaned. He then gave orange-haired boy a onceover to make sure his clothes weren't dirty. Which was good since his shirt had some stains from the apple juice he was drinking. He threw the banana and the paper towel he was using in the trash. Shisui picked up Ichigo and put him on the ground, taking away the empty juice box from Ichigo.

"Banzai Ichigo-kun." He said, raising the younger boy's hands in the air.

Ichigo giggled.

Shisui changed the shirt with a red one that had little cars driving on the front. He looked over the boy again and smiled. Putting on the backpack, he held out his hand for the younger boy to take, but instead Ichigo raised both his arms in that universal sign for 'carry me'. With Ichigo in his arms Shisui headed toward the door, making sure everything was in its place and leaving a note for Isshin to find to know where both were going. Locking the front door, the two young boys were off.

* * *

It didn't take them long to walk to the shopping districts. When they got there Shisui made sure the backpack was on securely and that he was carrying Ichigo again—on their walk over here they had encountered a cat basking in the sun, Ichigo having seen the cat had squirmed in his arms to be let down so he could pet it. Shisui hadn't complained he wanted to pet the cat too. —he didn't want the young boy getting lost. They got a few curious stares from people walking by but that didn't deter the duo from their adventure.

"So Ichigo where do you wanna go first?"

"There! There, there!" Ichigo said excitedly, jumping in Shisui's arms. He was pointing at a pastry shop. Ichigo gave a big smile. Mama loved cake, especially cakes with strawberries. If they brought Mama a cake she would be happy.

Shisui was happy. Very happy. The pink-haired boy loved cake too but he loved cheesecake more. And as they neared the pastry shop, he saw through the windows that they had his favorite kind of cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake. He did a little happy dance in his head.

As they entered the shop both boys were hit with the scent of sweets. Soon both their mouths were watering a bit. They looked at each other and grinned.

"Welcome!" a woman at the counter said.

"What do you want Ichigo?" Shisui asked excitedly, eyes roaming over all the pastries. His face almost pressed to the glass window.

Ichigo's eyes roamed the pastries. Everything looked so delicious he couldn't decide what to get.

After a bit of looking over the pastries the pink-haired boy ordered.

"Ah, can I get," Shisui began, eyes looking over the sweets. He should probably get something for his parents too. "Um, can I get a slice of strawberry cheesecake and two napoleons please."

"Slice of strawberry cheesecake and two napoleons coming right up." The worker said, smiling at the boy.

"Know what you want yet Ichigo? It's okay if you don't."

"Mm. I want that one, the one with the sprinkles. And the one with strawberries on top is for Mama." The young boy said.

Shisui looked at the two desserts that the boy chose. Ichigo's was a plain vanilla cupcake with red icing and rainbow sprinkles on top and his mom's was a cake with strawberries on top and what looked like a jelly filling on the inside.

"Can I get these two too, please."

"Alright."

While they waited for their orders to be ready, Shisui looked around the shop. It was pretty nice. Not too elegant and not too simple but just the right amount of both to make it seem nice. He looked at the menu hanging over the counter. They had a variety of pastries from around the world, most it seemed from Europe. But as he looked over the menu more closely he spotted one dessert he hadn't had or seen in a long time, tres leches.

' _Ahh, it's been_ forever _since I've had tres leches. I should come back here so I can get it. Man, I miss pan dulce (sweet bread) too. I wonder if they sell it here too.'_

"Here you go sir. That'll be 25.40. Thank you, please come again." she said, almost handing him the box with the desserts but noticing that his hands were full.

Putting Ichigo down, he dug out the money in his pocket and handed the cashier the amount told. He grabbed the box from the cashier's hand and lifted Ichigo up. With both hands occupied, Shisui had to open the door with his back. Once outside Shisui headed to the flower store he was most familiar with.

"Welcome! Ah, Shi-chan. What are you doing here? And who is that cute little boy you're carrying?" His mother said, walking away from some jasmine flowers and heading towards him.

"Hey Mom. I'm just here to pick up some flowers. I brought you and dad a treat. This is Ichigo. Ichigo this is my mom, remember? I told you about her the other day." Shisui said, looking at the boy in his arm, who was shyly looking at the older woman.

"H-hi." Ichigo said bashfully.

The mother gave the orange-haired boy a warm smile. "Hello Ichigo-kun. It's nice to meet you. My, my you are so cute." She said and then teasingly she added, "Please look after my Shi-chan, Ichigo-kun. He's a big scaredy-cat who cries a lot and he sometimes gets lost going places so take good care of him."

"Mom!" Shisui squawked.

Ichigo giggled and attempted to give the woman a serious nod but it failed seeing as it looked cute. It made Shisui's mother squeal.

"You so cute Ichigo-kun! Are you here to get flowers for your mother? AWWWW! How sweet! What kind of flowers are you looking for sweetie?" The older woman asked, smiling at the boy.

"Sunflowers! Cuz Mama is like the sun! Bright and warm!" the boy said happily.

"Awwww!" Shisui heard his mother say as well as the person manning the register.

"Alright! You're just in luck Ichigo-kun, yesterday a bunch of Jerusalem artichokes arrived. They're a type of sunflower, but instead of being big they're small. So they'll be easy for you to carry." Shisui's mother said, heading to the back of the store. Both boys didn't have to wait long before the brown-haired woman popped back out. In her hands was the bouquet of sunflowers. They were pretty things, all bunched up together.

"Here you go sweetheart, on the house." She said, handing the bouquet to Ichigo.

Ichigo was in awe as he stared at the sunflowers in his hands. They were pretty and so bright just like his mother. He gave the woman a huge smile. "Thank You!"

The older woman blushed, "Oh it's nothing sweetheart."

She turned to her son, who was smiling at his her. "You little sneak!"

"I don't know what you're talking about?" he said innocently.

She rolled her eyes, "Sure you don't. Now give me my dessert and your father's as well since you're going to be at the hospital most of the day."

"Yeah." Her son said, handing her the box, "The two that look the same are yours and Dad's but if you want you can have the cheesecake, I don't mind." He told her.

"No, it's fine." She replied, handing the box back to her son once she removed the sweets.

"Alright. Bye Mom, see you at home." Shisui said as he exited the store.

"Bye Shi-chan! Bye Ichigo-kun! Take care." She told the boys, waving as they left. She got a wave back from Ichigo and a 'okay' from her son.

"Nishimura-san, your son is cute so was the little boy he had." The cashier said.

"I know right!"

* * *

They had made it to the hospital, with no harm done to the dessert box or the sunflowers. However, there was one thing that was giving Shisui trouble. It wasn't that he had to go up to one of the nurses and ask for Masaki's room number and had to wait a bit to see if he could pass or that he had to lie a bit to get the box of sweets inside—apparently outside food wasn't aloud—but it was the fact that Ichigo was asleep.

On their walk to the hospital, Ichigo had decided he wanted his cupcake so they had stopped at a park where both had eaten their desserts. Then with Ichigo full of sugar they had stayed at the park for a good thirty minutes so he could get rid of his sugar high. Ichigo had gotten dirty while playing with the other kids and Shisui was glad he had brought an extra set of clothes. He had ushered the young boy to the bathroom and cleaned him up a bit with one of the water bottles he had brought and then changed his clothes. They had then continued on their way to the hospital. One carrying a box of sweets and flowers, the other babbling excitedly next to him.

They had made quite a pair as they walked to the hospital. A pink-haired kid carrying a bouquet of sunflowers and an orange-haired kid talking a mile a minute. But soon enough Ichigo's rapid babbling began to slow down. It looked like someone's sugar high had come to an end.

Now Shisui was in front of Masaki's room but was having trouble opening the door. His arms where full with carrying Ichigo, the bouquet of sunflowers, and the box holding Masaki's cake. He was about to call one of the nurses he saw walking around when a voice startled him.

"Do you need help?" Someone said from behind him.

"Ah, yes please. If you don't mind." The younger boy said. His arms where falling asleep and if he moved, Ichigo's head was going to fall of his shoulder. A hand appeared from his peripheral vision to open the door, Shisui quickly headed inside.

"Thank you!" he told the stranger, craning his neck to see the person but all he caught a glimpse of was white. He shrugged. Walking further into the room he saw Masaki. In her arms was a baby.

"Hello Kurosaki-san. I brought you cake, sorry if it's a bit sad-looking." The boy greeted softly, so as not to wake the boy in his arms and the one in Masaki's. The brown-haired woman looked up.

"Shisui-kun it's good to see you. Please just call me Masaki. Ah, here put the flowers and box over here near my bed, so they won't fall." She said, gesturing to the small table near her bed. The boy did as he was told.

"My, my what pretty flowers. I've never seen them before."

"There called Jerusalem artichokes, a type of sunflower, their native to eastern North America. Ichigo picked them out."

"How sweet. They really are beautiful flowers."

"Mm."

She looked at the boy. He looked a bit tired, there was some dirt on his jeans and a wet spot was appearing on his shirt where Ichigo was resting his head. He was standing.

"Why don't you sit, Shisui-kun. You look a bit tired. Sit and tell me how today went. Was Ichigo good?" Masaki said, pointing to a chair near her bed.

"Ah, thanks." He said gratefully, sitting in the chair. All that walking and having to carry the things plus Ichigo really tired him out. He readjusted Ichigo so his arms could take a break. Next time he would make sure they took a taxi here or something cause his feet were hurting and his back ached.

"Ichigo was fine. We had fun today as you can see." He gave a little nod to the sleeping boy. "We went to a pastry shop and then to the flower shop my mom works, she liked Ichigo, and then from there we continued our way here. Halfway Ichigo wanted to eat his cupcake so we stopped at a nearby park then he played with some of the other kids there, we were there for a while but he had fun so that was okay. After the park we kept on walking but Ichigo was exhausted so I carried him the rest of the way here. Ah, it sucks that he's asleep he was excited about showing you the sunflowers." Shisui said.

Masaki chuckled. "It seems both of you had a rather exciting day. That's nice."

The boy nodded. "And you. How was your day?"

"Well," she chuckled. "there isn't much to do when you're in a bed. But my day's been nice, better now that you and Ichigo are here. It's much better when there's company."

"True. Ah, I almost forgot when are you being discharged?"

"Tomorrow, probably around four or five in the afternoon."

"That's good. You must be glad to be going back home."

Masaki made a face. "I am glad to be heading home but I'm afraid to see what the house looks like. I hope Isshin hasn't made a mess while I was gone. I mean I know it's been a two days but still."

Shisui laughed. "Don't worry, the house is fine. Nothing was out of place."

They sat in silence for a while, until Masaki broke it. She had noticed that Shisui was fidgeting in his chair. Looked like his arms where falling asleep but he didn't want to move Ichigo seeing as the boy looked comfortable.

"Here. You can put him next to me, I won't mind. Besides I can see that your itching to stretch your arms." The older woman said. The boy made to protest but a look from the mother made him comply. Gently Shisui placed Ichigo near his mother, hovering a bit above the boy to make sure he didn't wake up after being moved.

"Thanks." He said, shaking his arms to get some of the numbness gone. He closed his eyes. He was tired. Hopefully he would make it home before he passed out. But before that he would need to take Ichigo home. He would stay here until Ichigo woke up and if they stayed until visiting hours were over then he would get a cab to take them home. He had enough money to do so. A whine broke Shisui out of his light dozing.

"Ah, could you take Yuzu from me please, Shisui-kun. It seems like Karen is hungry." Masaki asked, holding the child in her arms towards the boy. Shisui hesitated a bit before gently taking Yuzu from Masaki.

The pink-haired boy looked down at the baby in his arms; his eyes softened. She was very cute; from what he could remember she grew to be a cute kid too. Yuzu whined a bit. He moved his arms so that she was more comfortable. Ichigo was lucky. Having siblings was nice and maybe he might not appreciate it now since he was so little, but as he grows older he will know. He'll know that feeling one gets when having siblings. When he had realized he was reborn he had hoped he would get younger siblings, but he never did. His parents were content with just him. But to him it felt strange being an only child. He had never been an only child in his past life, he had an older sister and two younger brothers. And with them the house was always filled with at least some kind of sound. Now it was just him and his parents and though they all made noise when they spent time together, it still didn't feel the same. There was something different when one spent time with siblings. That's what he had with his sister before he died and that's what he would have liked to have if he ever had siblings in this world.

"Shisui-kun, are you alright?" Masaki asked, a worried look on her face.

Shisui gave Masaki a small smile.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just…I'm a bit envious of Ichigo." Shisui began. "I'm an only child you see; I think it would have been nice to have younger siblings. Have someone to conspire with, have someone to share ridiculous stories with, have someone to bicker with, you know, all those sibling things that come with having a brother or sister."

The older woman's expression softened.

"I know you're going to be helping me when I'm out of here, and I know we're paying you for those days, but you can come even if Isshin or I don't need you if you want. We won't mind and it would be good for Ichigo to have someone to look up to, the girls too once they're a bit older." Masaki offered.

Shisui shook his head. "No! No, I couldn't possibly! I wouldn't want to cause trouble."

The woman laughed. "It's fine, Shisui-kun. It's no trouble at all and Isshin wouldn't mind. Besides this way I can have someone else to tease and joke with AND I can have help in embarrassing these three when they're older." She added teasingly, giving the boy a wink.

Shisui stared at the older woman for a moment and couldn't help the laughter that burst from his mouth.

Masaki puffed up her cheeks.

He did take up her offer though.

* * *

After Masaki got out of the hospital, they had a little party to celebrate Masaki's return home and to welcome Yuzu and Karin. Shisui was worried that Isshin might have invited Urahara and the Visored but the father didn't. It was just the man's family and him. They had fun eating, playing, and laughing. It was good.

Ichigo was especially happy to see his mother back home, staying by her side at all times. He didn't even seem jealous of his mother needing to pay more attention to the girls. All he did was vow that he would protect them with all his might. Isshin having heard that had burst into hysterical crying and babbled something about his son being a good big brother. Masaki had laughed. Shisui wished the man would stop with the overdramatic dramatics.

Shisui spent time with the Kurosaki family, helping them with thekids, running errands for them or just plain house chores. Masaki had wanted to pay him for the chores and errands he did, but the boy had insisted it was fine, he didn't mind. He said he would help where he could and he did these things at home so it wasn't much different. Masaki had still insisted but knew the boy wouldn't budge on it, so she sent him home with food.

At some point Shisui's routine had changed. Instead of being school, bar, home it was now school, bar, Kurosaki house, home. It would change but he was always at the bar or the Kurosaki house. His parents had commented on this, saying they were glad he had somewhere else to go instead of being home or at the bar. His mother had been so happy she had wanted to thank them, so on his next visit to their house his parents had joined him. Shisui was happy that his parents were able to meet Masaki, Isshin and their kids, but that happiness soon turned to regret. His mother now had someone else to gossip with and show embarrassing baby photos of him to, which wasn't good, and his father had somehow bonded with Isshin. How he couldn't say and didn't know. But Shisui was happy that his parents had made friends.

However, his coworkers weren't that happy that he spent most of his time with the Kurosaki's but he had made it up to them by bringing in dumplings or cookies as an apology. They had taken the offerings each time he came in for work but still whined (Hiruma) and complained (Yuuko) about him not spending most of his time here. Shisui had decided to bring a picture of who he was babysitting to stop their whining, secretly hoping they would be charmed by the photo of the kids, but all that got him was more whining.

The days he spent at the Kurosaki family turned into weeks and those weeks turned into months and those months turned into years. In all those hours he spent with them, he was able to become more familiar with Isshin and Masaki. They really where quite the pair. Masaki really was a kind, caring, and cheerful person but she could also be very scary. Isshin even with all his dramatics could be serious when working in the clinic or with the kids, sometime it surprised Shisui. Ichigo was always happy to see him, always telling him about his day and asking him to play. Yuzu and Karin were also happy to see him, if the arm waving when they see him was anything to go by.

Everything was good.

Life was nice.

Of course routines change and his was going to have a minor adjustment.

* * *

 **Here's chapter 3. Sorry for grammatical errors. Don't worry it isn't anything dramatic just a special guest appearance(s).**

 **Chapter title is Us by Regina Spektor.**

 **Thanks to those who reviewed they were nice. Much appreciated.**

 **Ah, one of the reviews had questions so I'll be answering them.**

 _Shisui's Age? Both Physically and Mentally._

 **After this chapter physically he is going to be 14 and Ichigo is 6. Yuzu and Karin are 3. (haha what is time?)**

 **Shisui met the Kurosaki family a day or two after Masaki gave birth to Yuzu and Karin so yeah. I'm kinda going off experience here of one of my relatives being pregnant. She had two kids already and she was having difficulty finding someone to pick them up from school. Husband was able to drop them off but since he worked late he couldn't pick them up so the kids were being juggled around.**

 **Shisui is mentally in his mid-twenties. Sometimes he forgets he's not an adult anymore and has to catch himself before he does or says something a child his age wouldn't say. He's strange, so he's kind of a loner in school (except the two classmates who bug him), his teachers like him well enough, and adults think he's a bit weird but okay. So he doesn't fit in and is awkward in making friends and those he does end up being adults which is weirder and makes his mom worry sometimes ('Do you have any friend your age?' 'Uhh…no? I mean there are these two classmates who sit next to them, we talk sometimes, I guess.' 'Oh, okay. Good, that's good.' '?')**

… _I have to ask about Uraharas offer, that can't be the sole reason, can it? And will you have Shisui working or at least visit the shop in the future?_ _That would be fun._

 **Hahaha, it would be interesting if he had a reason but no. he just seemed the type, to me, to boss people around and making them do outrageous tasks. But don't worry Shisui will bump into Urahara (more like Urahara will bump into him) every now and then and somehow they'll start hanging out to the bewilderment of Shisui. And yes, at one point Shisui will be working at the shop much to his annoyance but that will be later.**

 _Is it bad that I want Shisui to have at least a teeny tiny little power? It doesn't even need a combat ability and could instead be something that can help people relax, or something with books, feathers or anything really that fits his non-combatant nature._

 **No it's not bad. I've also been bouncing around the idea of giving him a power. But I wouldn't know what to give him. I was thinking he could be a healer like Orihime but with food since he likes to food or having to cuddle to heal since he's an affectionate person to those he loves. Then I was thinking something ironic, like revolvers. He wouldn't want to hurt anyone if he had revolvers as a weapon, he wouldn't hate it but he wouldn't like it either. But idk.**

 _Oh! Before I forget, wasn't there an arrancar with pink hair and glasses?_

 **Yes, there is an arrancar that fits that description. Syazel or something. Kenpachi's lieutenant also has pink hair. But even then it's still weird for someone to have pink and I thought it would be funny you know better than giving him a generic hair color. Besides everyone on his dad's side has pink hair so he's not alone ('It's a family thing Shisui. Don't worry 'bout it.' 'I worry Dad. I mean, I'm probably going to be getting weird questions when I get older I mean I'm already getting stares.' '…I'm sorry son.' 'It's fine dad.') Also someone Ichigo and Orihime(?) can relate with in having weird hair.**

 _I must say that I really Shisuis thoughts of the future and how you're making him forget most of the happenings in the manga and anime except for a few keypoints. In many rebirth fics the characters seem to remember a whole lot of things and often makes plans for years into the future. I'm glad yours isn't more than his 'I'm going to be an adult and be there for them'-plan_

 **This isn't a question but yeah I know what you mean. I've also read fics not necessarily bleach but others where the character remembers everything and tries to change everything but then that blows up in their face and then their struggling with how to deal with the changes they made and that 'this wasn't supposed to happen!' feel. I like them but you can only read so many like that before you get bored.**

 **Shisui only remembers those key points and even then only bits and pieces. As the story progresses he will face situations or be told situations that make him think 'this sounds familiar?' or 'why does it feel like I've seen/read this somewhere before?' but he won't be able to know why he feels like this until awhile after, since it has been a long,** _ **long**_ **time since he's seen or read bleach. (hahaha me too. I should probably get started on that.)**

 **So yeah, Thanks for the reviews.**

 **I'll try to update every two days or every day. We'll see since I'm about to start school and my internet is acting up.**

 **Comment, review, critique or whatever else you think of the story.**

 **Thanks to those who favorited and followed.**

 **Thanks to whoever else is reading.**

 **Don't own Bleach.**


	5. Vivir Sin Ti Es Posible

Vivir Sin Ti Es Posible

"Tell me again why I'm doing this."

"Because you love us."

"Yes, I know that but _why_."

"Because you're getting a little chunky and even though you spend most of your time helping at the bar and babysitting my kids, those things don't count as working out."

"Hey! I am not getting fat and those too so count as working out. Carrying boxes and kids all day is tiring you know!"

"Sure sweetheart."

The teen groaned.

Chuckles came from both women on either side of the boy.

"Alright ladies and boy! Let's spread our legs and then bend forward with arms outstretched in front of you, make sure your hands are locked. Good, good. Let's hold it for five minutes."

The trio instantly moved into the position told.

"I can't believe I'm here. I mean, how did I even agree to this."

"Well, you were the one that said to do something exciting if we were bored." His mother said.

"Yeah, exciting not exercising. I don't want to work out. I hate feeling sore."

"Shisui-kun don't be a downer. Besides it's good for you and you'll have something to talk about when you make friends." Masaki said cheerfully.

"I _have_ friends you know. I hang out with them and do friend things with them."

"Coworkers don't count."

Shisui grumbled.

"What about those two classmates you brought over that one time. They were nice." His mother added.

"Who, Katsu-kun and Amaya-chan?" He said. He thought about it. "I _guess_ ; I mean we have been in the same class since elementary and we talk sometimes."

"See, why don't you hang out with them? You practically know them." His mother said.

"I don't know _know_ them it's just…you know familiar faces and all that."

Both mothers sighed.

"It's nice that you spend time with Ichigo, Yuzu, and Karen and that you help Kato-san but you need to have friends your own age. Your teachers are worried since you haven't joined any clubs and you keep mostly to yourself." The boy's mother said.

This time Shisui sighed. How was he supposed to tell his mother that it felt weird being a man, in mind but not body, amongst kids. It was weird being the only adult besides the teacher in a classroom full of growing teens, like really weird. How could he tell her he didn't know what to say when they asked him about silly things like school fights, teacher affairs, who was dating who, and other stuff kids talked about at that age. Like, what did those things have to do with what they were learning? Plus, he didn't care. Maybe that's why most of his classmates didn't talk to him.

' _But…'_

He thought about the two people who actually talked to him in school. They weren't afraid to come talk to him like his other classmates. He was comfortable with them but not to an extent that he was familiar with them like those at the bar. More like neighbors' kind of comfortable. You see them every day and talk a bit, but never really know them. If that made any sense, but it probably wouldn't and his mother and Masaki would look at him weird if he said that out loud.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try to see if they want to hang out sometime this week if they're not busy. Amaya-chan is in the boxing club and Katsu-kun is in the theater club so they might not have time."

Both woman beamed.

"Great!" they said in unison.

"Alright everybody times up! Let's do some stretches and we're done for the morning."

Shisui made a face. He hated how the yoga classes where in the morning. He wondered if both women purposely choose morning classes, knowing that he could easily be swayed in his half-sleep state to say yes.

They probably did.

He hated waking up early.

* * *

"Am I weird? Like if you didn't know me what would be your first impression of me?" Shisui asked his two classmates suddenly. They were currently outside having lunch on the school rooftop.

Shisui had been thinking what Masaki and his mother had said. And the more he thought about it, it did seem a bit strange for someone his age, physically, was working at a bar nevermind that he was older in mind.

Amaya and Katsu both looked at the other in confusion. Amaya more in irritation than confusion.

"Why the sudden question Shisui-kun?" Katsu asked.

"Yeah Nishimura! Don't say stupid questions. Unless…" The red-head scowled. "If someone is bothering you Nishimura you tell me; I'll beat them to a pulp."

Shisui gave a small smile.

Katsu sighed.

"No I'm not being bullied. It's just…don't you think it's weird for me to not have joined a club by now, I mean we're halfway done with middle school. And mostly everyone is in some kind of afterschool activity. Also there's the fact that most of the people I hang out with are older than me besides you two but even then I'm usually by myself most of the time. I mean, wouldn't you think it's weird for a kid, like me, to have adults as friends and spend most of their time at a bar. Instead of, you know, spending time with kids my age and joining a club or something." The teen said, gesturing to himself then to the space around them.

Katsu and Amaya paused, thinking of what Shisui had said. It was strange that the pink-haired boy hadn't joined any clubs and he did mostly hang out with adults and it was pretty weird that he worked at a bar nevermind the fact that he's worked there since they started middle school. Also he did come off as a bit cold when alone but that might be his default mood.

"Well…you are a bit odd. But not in a bad way! More like stiff or awkward when talking to classmates, like you don't know what to say or you don't know how to act. It is a bit weird you haven't joined any clubs but that's because you work at the bar and you babysit, you put most of your time and effort into making sure the people you're helping are happy. Plus, you seem to love what you do—if the conversations we've had before are anything to go by—and if you were to join a club you wouldn't be happy. I mean sure you would put effort into what you're doing but it wouldn't be the same as the other things you do." Katsu said, nodding sagely.

"Huh." Was all Shisui said.

"Yeah and even if most of our classmates don't talk to you, you still have us. Even if we don't hang out a lot we've still known each other since elementary." Amaya added.

Shisui stared at the two. Katsu was right. He was happy working at the bar and babysitting and if he did join a club he wouldn't be. Sure he would make effort but it would be half-hearted at best. Amaya also had a point. Even if they didn't talk often, they still hung out during lunch and sometimes walked to school in the mornings.

"You two have a point and here I was making myself worried. Thanks!" the teen said, giving the two a bright smile.

They both blushed.

"Are you two okay? You seem a little red." Shisui asked.

"Ah! It's nothing probably the heat! You never answered my question." Katsu said quickly. Amaya nodding furiously next to him. They had never seen Shisui smile like that. He usually gave small smiles or just chuckled if he found something they said interesting, never something so bright and warm. Katsu thought he might have seen sparkles surrounding him but that might have been his imagination.

"Oh, well my mom and Masaki-san, Ichigo and the girl's mom, were worried about me since I keep mostly to myself during class and teachers have expressed concern over me not joining a club. They want me to make friends with kids my age. Ah! That reminds me, are you guys going to be free anytime soon. I was thinking we could hang out at my house maybe go over what we've been learning or just go somewhere. I mean if you don't mind and if your parents are okay with it." Shisui replied, giving the two a curious look.

"Um, I don't have anything this Wednesday. Is that okay?" the brown-haired boy said.

"Yeah, I don't have work or babysit that day so it's good."

Both boys looked at the red head. The girl scowled.

"The boxing club only meets on Thursdays and Tuesdays so I'm good."

* * *

"Great! So now that that's out of the way, how's the boxing and theater club?"

"Hashimoto- _chan_ remember to use your inside voice or you might frighten the customers again." Tanaka said, smiling sweetly.

"What was that you damn red-head!?" Yuuko shouted, glaring at the other woman.

"My, my, are you deaf? I said to use your inside voice. You're the reason most of the customers are leaving, big mouth."

"Why you—!"

Shisui sighed. Next to him Hibiki was watching the two bickering women with amusement. On the teens other side was Kenji who was looking at the squabble with annoyance. Shisui didn't know when or how it happened but at some point Yuuko and Tanaka had started butting heads. Sure at first they didn't bicker as much just a few insult here and there, but it had steadily grown from there. Now it was a regular occurrence to see both women arguing about something or another. It annoyed Kenji to no end and amused Hibiki immensely. Shisui just found it troublesome since it kept the customers from drinking near the counter.

' _Well, most customers.'_

At the other end of the bar was Love, Rose, Lisa, and Shinji watching the two bartenders as though it were a tennis match. After the first time Shisui had met them he thought that would be the last time he would see them. He was wrong. The four Visored had decided to make this bar their go-to for drinks with Urahara joining them on occasion. They didn't always come as a group, sometimes Rose and Love would be together, Shinji on occasion would come alone or with Urahara, and Lisa would come alone or sometimes she would accompany Shinji. He wouldn't call them regulars per se, but they did pop in every once in a while. Kenji liked them but Shisui thought that might have been because they tipped well and got the most expensive drinks. Shisui found them nice a bit eccentric but nice.

"Yo, Nishimura can I get another shot over here." Love said, waving over the boy.

"Yes!" he said. He turning to face Kenji. "Kenji-san they need you at the end of the bar."

"What they want?" the older man grunted out.

"Shot."

The older man nodded heading towards the quartet.

"They do know you can't serve drinks right. Well not yet anyway." Hibiki asked, never taking his eyes of Yuuko and Tanaka.

"Yeah they know. It's probably just their way of saying hello." In fact, he didn't know why they always asked him for drinks. He had asked about it before, they had just shrugged and said he was the closest to call. Which was weird, since most of the time he wasn't even near them when they called.

Shisui sighed again. He looked around the bar. Other customers were starting to become irritated with the noise. He had a feeling things might not turn out so good if the two kept shouting.

He frowned.

"Alright you two that's enough!" Shisui said loudly, getting the attention of those near the bar. "You should be embarrassed of yourselves, causing a scene at work! If both of you have a problem either see Kenji"

"Oi!" the older man said.

"Or talk it out in the breakroom on your own time. Both of you are disturbing the customers." He finished, ignoring what the older man said and looking at the two. Yuuko and Tanaka both stared at the teen, before bursting into protest.

"No! I don't want to hear it." Shisui cut them off, crossing his arms and giving them his I'm-disappointed-in-you-and-your-life-choices' face—his mother had named the face after he had given it to her when he caught her breaking her diet on more than one occasion—it had the effect he was looking for. Both women had instantly quieted and shuffled their feet guiltily. He pointed to the door that lead to the breakroom.

"Go and think about what you've done. Don't come out until you've resolved your problems." He said, watching as they shuffled toward the door. "If I hear shouting or breaking noises then I'm not going to bring dumplings for you two for the next week."

With the threat of not getting dumplings both quickened their pace. The thought of not getting any of Shisui's homemade dumplings was something neither wanted to experience. The bar was silent for a moment once both women had left. Then someone whistled.

Shisui jumped.

' _Shit! I forgot there where people here. Ahhh I'm so embarrassed! I didn't mean to yell! Oh my god this is so embarrassing! Ugh why.'_

Shisui turned around hoping his face wasn't red. He was greeted by the grins of Shinji, Love, and Hibiki. Lisa, Rose, and Kenji had amusement dancing across their faces.

Shisui's face felt warm.

"Kid that was hilarious!" Shinji said, cackling. Shisui's face grew warmer.

"Shi-chan, you're awesome." Hibiki said, sliding over to the embarrassed boy. "I love you."

"What!" the pink-haired boy squawked, trying and failing to get away from the taller man who had suddenly hugged him. His face smushed against the man's chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"Yes," Hibiki began dramatically, lifting the boy up so that their cheeks where now pressed together. "I can't hide it anymore. These feelings for you, Shi-chan I love you! I don't care if you're young! All that matters is my love for you!"

"What?!" he repeated. "I thought you had a girlfriend!"

"I do but that doesn't matter anymore because I love you. Let's elope Shi-chan!" He continued, ignoring the other's struggles for escape. The older man began twirling them around until they were in front of the Visored, who were struggling to keep in their laughter, and Kenji who had an exasperated look on his face.

Shisui groaned. "Hibiki put me down! Oh my GOD! Why?! You idiot, put me down! Hibiki you butt! I'm too young for you and I think most people don't like those kind of couples! Oh my god! This is so embarrassing!"

The teen struggled to get out of the other's arms. His face was a dark red and all he wanted to do is disappear into the ground. Hibiki took pity on him and put him down. Shisui quickly put some space between him and the taller man, who was smirking. Shisui glared at him.

"Jeez, you butt! I liked you better when all you did was laze around the bar at least then it was fun to hang out with you. Now you're just a butthole."

The black-haired man put on wounded look. "Shi-chan you're so cruel."

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Hibiki smirked at the teen. He began making kissy faces at the teen.

The pink-haired teen just rolled his eyes harder.

The Visored couldn't take it anymore they burst into laughter.

Shisui having forgotten that they weren't alone turned red. Hibiki was still smirking, bowing at their audience.

"Thank you, thank you. We're here every Thursday and Sunday." Hibiki joked.

Shisui attempted to glare at the man but there wasn't much heat in it. Instead he told the man he wasn't going to bring him dumplings tomorrow. Which prompted the bartender to wail and dramatically throw himself at the short teen. Shisui stumbled forward a bit almost hitting the bottle of sake that was in front of Shinji with his head. The older man was putting all his weight on him which made his side dig into the counter uncomfortably and made him lean a bit over the counter.

"Heavy." The pink-haired teen grunted out.

"Shi-chan I'm sorry! Please don't deprive me of your home cooking! Please I beg of you!" the black-haired man pleaded, leaning even more onto the teen until he was squishing him into the counter.

"Alright, alright already! Just get off of me!" he huffed out.

The other immediately complied and Shisui was able to breathe again. He scowled at the older man.

"You're a real butt, you know that." He grumbled.

"I know but you love me." The other countered.

"My love for you has left the station."

"Oh? Does that mean I'm gonna need to find an expressway to your heart?"

Shisui gave him an unimpressed look.

"No."

Hibiki laughed.

The teen scowled at the older man. He was about to retort but was cut off.

"Kid, ever thought of doing a skit with this guy. Both of ya are pretty funny." Shinji said, giving the two a grin.

The teen made a face and Hibiki seemed to be considering it.

"No" "Yes." They both said at the same time.

Shisui rolled his eyes. "I'm leaving."

"Wait!" This time it was Lisa who spoke up.

Shisui turned to look at her with a curious look. "Yes, Yadomaru-san?"

While Lisa did come by herself most of the time she had never talked to him like the others did, on the occasions that they were feeling chatty, usually just nodding at him in greeting and waving when she was done with her drink.

Lisa made a face. "Just Lisa is fine. Yadomaru-san sounds weird."

"Then, Lisa-san what can I do for you?"

She stared at him. "Your hair. Is it natural?" she asked.

The teen blinked. "Um, yeah it is. Why?"

The woman got a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "So is it natural down there too?"

Shisui stared at her for a moment before his face turned completely red.

"Y-Yadomaru-san!?"

She cackled.

* * *

"Yadomaru-san is mean."

"I like her."

The teen rolled his eyes. "Of course you would."

It was Hibiki's turn to walk the middle schooler home and he was enjoying the walk immensely.

Shisui was not enjoying this walk, all throughout it the older man had been teasing him about the question the ex-lieutenant had asked him taking great delight when the teen blushed.

Shisui groaned. He covered his face with his hands.

Tonight had been so embarrassing. After Lisa had asked that question, the others took it as an initiative to ask their own questions and theories about his hair color. Needless to say most of the question weren't appropriate or didn't make sense. But he had attempted to give them an answer to the best of his ability even if he was embarrassed when answering. The conversation somehow went from him talking about his hair color to him talking about his babysitting job. Which then lead Shinji to ask how Isshin was and if his kids had taken after him.

He had been a bit hesitant in answering his questions since he didn't know how well they knew Isshin, but the thought of showing him baby pictures of Ichigo and telling him embarrassing stories about the substitute Shinigami was too good to pass up. Plus, he always loved to brag about the kids he babysat. So he had told the group about the time he spent babysitting the boy. He made sure to include any pictures he had on him of Ichigo. Besides it seemed that Shinji found what he was saying amusing if the look on his face was anything to go by, more so than the others. He would probably regret telling about Ichigo later on once Ichigo finally met them.

Oh well.

"You coming in tomorrow?" Hibiki asked.

They were finally at his house, which was good he was getting sleepy and he might've of had homework to finish.

"No, I've got babysitting duty." Shisui said before yawning.

"Alright, see you… this Friday?" the man said, unsure if he was right.

The boy nodded. "Yeah."

"Awesome, goodnight, Shi-chan"

"Night." He yawned.

* * *

"You ready Ichigo?" I said, adjusting the backpack I had.

Today I was going to take Ichigo to the park. Masaki and Isshin would be taking care of the girls while I was gone. Which was good since Ichigo had been getting bored.

"Is Tatsuki coming?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. We'll be picking her up on our way to the park."

Ichigo grinned. "Then I'm ready!"

I smiled. "Alright let's go!"

"Bye! Be careful on your way there." Masaki said as we left.

"Okay, bye!" I replied taking Ichigo's hand. We began making our way to Tatsuki's house.

On one of the days I was running an errand for my mom, I had seen Ichigo and his mom. I had gone to approach them, to say hi when I had noticed there was someone else accompanying them. It was Tatsuki and her mom. At first I didn't even know it was her until Ichigo had introduced me to her.

("Saku-niichan this is Tatsuki-chan my best friend." Ichigo had said proudly. "We do karate together."

I smiled. "Hi Tatsuki-chan. It's nice to meet you. It's really cool that you can do karate. Ichigo has shown me some move but he says it's not the same without someone as a partner. Is it okay if you can show me what you can do?"

The girl had given me a curious look, focusing more on the hair, before brightening at the thought of showing someone her karate.

"Yeah! You should come see me and Ichigo at the dojo! Sensei says we can't spar without him watching." She replied.

"Cool, I'll make sure to accompany Ichigo next time he goes to the dojo.")

And that was that. Masaki had then introduced me to her mom, we talked a bit and I had continued on my way home. From then if I could I would accompany Masaki to the dojo or would take Ichigo on playdates with Tatsuki-chan.

"Saku-niichan look! A cat!"

"What! Where?!" I said looking around for the cat.

"There!" he said, pointing at the cat. I looked at where he was pointing and saw it. It was next to a lamppost sunbathing.

"Aww, let's go pet it." I said, approaching the cat.

"Saku-niichan you're funny." Ichigo said, giggling.

I stopped. "What? How am I funny?"

"Because you like to pet every cat or dog you see."

"Ahhh, I can't help it. It's just…they're so cute." I said, coaxing the cat to come near me. It was a beautiful black cat with yellow eyes. It was looking at me curiously but wasn't budging from its spot.

"Ahh, it's so cute." I said, getting a bit closer to the cat. I stretched my hand out so it could smell it. The cat moved to take a whiff before putting its head under my hand for pets.

I grinned. "Ahh, it's soo cute! So soft! Ah, I wanna hug you."

"Saku-niichan you're funny."

"Yeah, yeah I know. Just a bit more then we can go alright?" I said, looking over at Ichigo. I pouted at him hoping it would convey how much I wanted to pet the cat.

He just rolled his eyes.

Punk.

"Alright, alright. Let's go." I told him, giving the cat a few more pets before standing up. "Goodbye Neko-san."

It meowed before walking away. I watched it go longingly.

' _Ah, it sucks that my parents are allergic to cats.'_

We continued walking until we made it to Tatsuki's house. Tatsuki and her mom were waiting outside for us.

"Shisui-kun, it's good to see you. Thank you so much for looking after Tatsuki-chan. I hope it isn't any trouble." Arisawa said.

"Hello, Arisawa-san. It's no trouble at all. I love spending time with Ichigo and Tatsuki-chan. Haha, it makes my day more enjoyable." I told her.

It was true I loved spending time with Ichigo, Yuzu, Karin, and Tatsuki the ruckus that they made no matter how troublesome it makes others, made me happy. I had a big family before I died and big families always bring some kind of commotion with them. There was no room for peace and quiet or alone time. And even if we did have moments like that, they were still filled with noise. I guess that's why I like working at a bar and babysitting the kids. I was so used to hearing some kind of ruckus being made that any moment that was filled with silence just unnerved me. So living in a family made up of three people was a new adjustment for me.

"Still, thank you Shisui-kun." Arisawa said, giving me a smile.

I smiled at her. "I'll make sure to bring her back before sundown Arisawa-san." She nodded. I looked at the two kids. "Come on you two let's go."

"Yeah." they said.

We continued walking, Ichigo and Tatsuki talking amongst each other. Yuzu and Karin, school, karate, and how their days been going being their main topics. I would say something here and there but never really entering the conversation. I had other things on my mind, like how tomorrow I was going to hangout with Amaya and Katsu and if Tanaka and Yuuko where okay after I had put them in timeout.

I think I was going to be okay when meeting up with Amaya and Katsu, I was just a bit nervous since I've talked to them only in school and this is the first time I'm actually going to meet them out of school. I'm more worried about the fact I scolded Amaya and Tanaka. When the conversation took an embarrassing turn, I had completely forgotten to check on both women to see how they were doing. I only realized it after I was already in bed, I had spent a few minutes panicking before deciding to call tomorrow.

' _Which I haven't done yet, know that I think about it. I'll have to call Kenji after this and if there's time maybe head over there to make sure their okay. I hope they aren't mad.'_

While I was in thought I hadn't noticed that we'd arrived at the park until Ichigo and Tatsuki had ran ahead.

"Ah, you two be careful okay! Don't run so fast you might fall!" I said a bit loudly so they could hear me. I pointed to a bench a bit far but not so far from the playground. "I'm going to be sitting over there okay! Don't go too far okay!" I finished quickly before they ran any farther. I got an okay from both before they ran off.

I sighed. Kids.

I walked over to the bench and sat to watch the kids. I would have taken out the book I brought with me but there seemed to be a bit of a crowd today so I needed to keep an eye on the two in case anything happened.

I people watched instead.

' _Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Aww a baby! Cute. Cute. I like her shoes. Ah, I like his hairstyle. Don't think I could pull it off though. She's pretty, I like what she's wearing really suits her. Oh, her earrings are nice. I wonder where she got them? Mm that guys cute. Not sure what he's wearing but he seems to be pulling it off. Aww twins cute.'_

"May I sit here?" I heard someone say near me. I jumped.

"Ah! Yes, I don't mind." I said, looking at the person. It was an old man.

He chuckled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

I gave a small smile. "Ah, no it's fine. Sorry. I spaced out a bit."

"We all do that every once in a while. Don't worry about it." He said.

"Yeah."

We sat in silence. Well awkward silence on my part. I scanned the playground. I squinted a bit, trying to find Ichigo and Tatsuki in the crowds of children. I spotted a bit of orange.

"There they are." I mumbled, keeping my eyes on Ichigo and Tatsuki. It seemed that while I was people watching the park had become a bit more crowded.

Watching what I could see of the two I saw that they were playing a game with someone else. The kid seemed to be about their age, had black hair, and…I squinted a bit...and had glasses.

I watched the three continue to play, the kid with the glasses seemed a bit unsure but that was normal when Tatsuki was involved. She was a confident, loud, and exuberant kid. Ichigo on the other hand can seem shy at first but really he's a ball of sunshine.

"Are they your siblings?" the old man asked.

"Hm?" I looked at him. He pointed to Ichigo and Tatsuki.

I laughed a bit. "No they're not. I'm just a babysitter."

"Oh?" he said curiously.

"Yeah. The boy," I said, pointing to Ichigo. "I usually babysit him and his little sister's after school."

"And the girl?"

"She's just a friend. They both go to the same dojo."

"Mm."

"And you?" I asked the old man. "Are you here to enjoy the day? Or Spending time with your grandkids?"

The old man smiled. "It is a nice day isn't it. A lovely day to spend with one's grandkid."

"Yeah, it is a nice day to spend with the people you care about."

We both looked at the playground.

"Shisui!" I heard Tatsuki shout. She was running towards me dragging Ichigo and the other kid they were playing with earlier with her. It was funny. The glasses wearing boy, now that he could see the kid more clearly, seemed disgruntled and Ichigo had an exasperated look on his face.

I smiled. "Hey, Tatsuki-chan, Ichigo. What's up?"

The girl grinned as she came to a sudden stop in front of me. It made Ichigo and the boy almost fall but I caught them before they could hurt themselves.

"Thanks Saku-niichan!" Ichigo said, smiling. He was sweating a bit and his hair looked a bit wilder than it did before they got here.

"Thank you." The other said, giving me a curious look as he fixed his hair.

"Shisui I'm thirsty. Ichigo said you brought water bottles. Can I have one?" Tatsuki said, sitting next to me. Ichigo followed her sitting on my other side. The black-haired boy looked unsure until he looked to the side and brightened.

"Grandpa!"

The old man smile. "Uryu."

' _Uryu? Why does that sound familiar?'_

But before I could think more on it, the older man made to get up but I stopped him.

"Ah, it's okay." I said, getting up so the kid could have my seat. I looked back at the boy, smiling. "Here. You can sit between Ichigo and Tatsuki."

He looked unsure but sat down after his grandpa said it was okay. I quickly rummaged through the backpack for the water bottles. There were four, I gave the first two to Tatsuki and Ichigo and the third to their new friend. Tatsuki quickly opened hers and gulped nearly half of it. Ichigo and Uryu—why does that name sound so familiar? —also opened theirs but drank at a slower pace.

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"It's okay. Besides they look like they need it."

It was true. All three looked exhausted from playing. It seemed like Tatsuki had them running around the playground. I looked in the backpack for the snacks. I had made onigiri just in case they got hungry. I took them out and handed two to each of the kids. I also gave one to the older man.

"Ah, you're too kind. Thank you." He said, taking the onigiri.

"It's no problem. Would you like a water bottle?" I asked.

"Oh, no, no. This is fine, thank you." He said, gesturing to the onigiri I gave him and his grandson.

"Are you sure? It's no problem." I said, holding the fourth water bottle out to him.

He nodded.

"Alright."

I looked up at the sky. The sun was setting and the sky was turning orange. It seemed that their day at the park was coming to an end.

"Alright you two, it looks like it's time to go." I announced.

Tatsuki groaned.

"Aww. Can we stay a little bit more, please? We're not done playing yet. And look! We even met someone, his names Uryu." Tatsuki said, pointing to the boy next to her.

I smiled. "Sorry Tatsuki-chan. I promised your mom I would bring you back before sundown. Ichigo too. Maybe next time."

"Yeah, Tatsuki-chan let's play with Uryu next time. I wanna go home, I'm tired." Ichigo said, looking at her.

"Hmmm, I guess. But let's come back next time. Early so we can play longer." She said, giving me a look.

I laughed. "Alright but you gotta ask Uryu and his grandfather first."

She frowned. She turned to look at Uryu. "Do you wanna play with us next time?"

"Um." The black-haired boy looked at his grandfather.

The old man chuckled. "Why not?"

"Okay. If we see each other again, let's play." Uryu said, looking back at Tatsuki.

Tatsuki nodded. "Don't worry we'll see each other again."

"If we do meet again then my name is Ishida Soken and this is my grandson Ishida Uryu. It was nice to meet you." The old man said, giving a bow form his seat. Uryu mimicking his grandfather.

"I'm Nishimura Shisui. These two are Kurosaki Ichigo and Arisawa Tatsuki. It was a pleasure meeting you too." I said, bowing.

' _Oh. So that's why the name seemed so familiar.'_

I looked at the bespectacled boy.

I had met Uryu and his grandfather.

* * *

 **Here's chapter 4. Sorry for any grammatical errors.**

 **Chapter title Vivir Sin Ti Es Posible by Ricardo Arjona.**

 **Haha. So in this chapter we have the Visored, if you caught it Yoruichi, Tatsuki, and the appearance of Uryu and his grandpa.**

 **Hahaha, this chapter was supposed to be up yesterday but I'm still getting shitty internet connection. Ah, I hope it doesn't last long I need to buy my class books.**

 **So, next chapter will be more Uryu and his grandpa maybe Ryuken, Shisui spending time with Ichigo, Yuzu, and Karin, the Visored, and Urahara.**

 **To that one reviewer with the money correction thing. Yeah it was a mistake. I was rereading this to make sure there weren't any mistakes I saw it reminded myself to change it but forgot haha.**

 **To the same person who had the questions: Yes, soon Urahara will have Shisui as his errand boy and Shisui will be annoyed but won't quit or say anything cuz he's a nice guy.**

 **And to the power idea. Yes. I like you. I like your idea. After I replied to your questions I thought a bit more about Shisui having powers. And I was like, as much fun as it would be to keep him powerless with the only being able to see hollows and Shinigami he would be an easy target and he wouldn't want ichigo and co to come to his rescue/protection just to see them get hurt or something.**

 **So I thought about it and as much as I liked the idea of him having revolvers as a power, no.**

 **Then the cuddle heal thing was good but he would only be able to heal those he's very close to but maybe I can make it work with the feather thing, maybe. (Like for those he's not familiar with get a healing feather but as he gets to know them more his healing changes to show affection i.e. hugs, hand holding, shoulder touching or something. I'm still working on it.)**

 **As for the feather thing my mind instantly went to bird feathers.**

 **For example: you said shisui wants something sharp =feather becomes sharp/razor and I thought falcon/hawk/eagle a bird of prey.**

 **For soft feathers I thought of hens, ducks, swans for protection/shield.**

 **Colorful birds i.e. peacocks, macaws, parakeets for disguise or something. like giving bird characteristics/qualities to the feathers and their purpose if that makes any sense.**

 **Should it be a troublesome power/difficult power/not quite perfect power maybe like it can last for a certain amount of time depending on how much effort Shisui has put into it or how he feels/thinks of the person he's giving the feather to or his mood/attitude/emotions play a role in defining the feathers he creates. Whether to give him a feather charm or the reiatsu thing idk they're both good ideas hell this whole idea is awesome!**

 **For those that are curious:**

 _My own idea of a power starts here and if you find it interesting and want to use it you can do so, otherwise you can just ignore it..._

 _*Huffing in annoyance* In my case my thoughts keep returning to feathers. Don't know why they just do so I decided to play with the idea a little._

 _He could have the ability to produce/make feathers with different abilities and he's better at making feathers focusing on healing._

 _He could either use a normal feather and channel his powers through it(like Orihime and her hairclips, I think?) or he could use reiatsu to form reiatsu-feathers and depending on what he wants to achieve the feather/s gets different looks and abilities, for example: Shisui wants something sharp; the feather gets a steely gleam and becomes razor sharp, or he wants it to put someone to sleep; the feather becomes really soft and he just have to swipe/put it over someones eyes and they fall asleep. Of course it is not a perfect power(at least I hope it isn't) and for the feather to have any effect at all it needs direct contact with the target and effects like sleep would disappear if the feather lost contact._

 _If the feathers hold the ability to enhance speed, strenght etc. is up to you. That is, of course, if you want to use or change this idea to fit your purpose_.

 **Thanks for the reviews.**

 **Comment, review, critique or whatever else you think of the story.**

 **Thanks to those who favorited and followed.**

 **Thanks to whoever else is reading.**

 **Don't own Bleach.**


	6. Kooks

Kooks

"Shisui-kun you're good at English right?" Katsu asked me.

I nodded.

"Cool, can you help me with this part."

"Sure. Which part?"

"Okay so I don't get this part right here." He pointed to his homework. "How would you…."

It was Wednesday and I was spending my afternoon doing homework. I wasn't suffering alone, Amaya and Katsu where with me. Once school had finished we had met at the school gates and wondered what we should do. Katsu had suggested we go see a movie, I had said we walk around and see what caught our attention, and Amaya said we go somewhere to do homework. Katsu and I were both surprised by this since Amaya hated doing homework. We both had looked at her funny. She had scowled and said she was a bit behind in some of her classes. So we decided to do our homework at a café and if there was time maybe walk around.

"…that's how you say it and write it. Did that make sense? Am I making sense? Sorry, it's just I'm not very good at explaining things." I said.

"No, no it's fine. I kinda get it now. Thanks." He said. "So it's _The weather will be horrible tomorrow, better bring an umbrella John._ "

"Yeah."

"Ugh! I can't believe Sensei's going to have us say these out loud tomorrow. What's worse is the project he's been talking about." Amaya grumbled.

I looked over at her. "You mean the one where we're going to have to create a conversation that at least last five minutes? Isn't that going to be a group thing?"

"Yeah." She said, frowning at the table. "I can't even pronounce most of what's on here right. It's so confusing. When are we even going need English anyway. I know I'm not going to be leaving the country anytime soon."

I hummed.

"You might not be leaving the country but learning another language is helpful. What if you meet a foreigner and they need to ask for directions?" Katsu said, looking over at Amaya.

"Well I'll just make sure that I have Shisui with me everywhere I go." She said jabbing a finger in my direction.

I chuckled.

Katsu rolled his eyes. "I don't think he'll want to follow you everywhere you go." He turned to look at me. "By the way you're really good at English. Did you meet someone when you were younger who spoke it or did you have to learn it because of work?" he asked.

Would it be weird to say that English was my second language before I died and that it was very useful when I lived in a country where it was the dominant language? Probably.

"Ah…my dad had to learn English when he first started his job. He would walk around the house with these books and cassettes. I was curious about them so once when he was at work I took a peek at them and found them interesting. So every time he went to work I would try to read the books and listen to the cassettes. He caught me eventually." I said instead.

My dad already knew English. He had taken classes before he met my mother. He could speak it clearly but he still had trouble with it. He had kept a few books from those classes, those I found and read. He had caught me 'trying' to read them one day and decided he would teach me. It's hard pretending you don't understand something when you do understand it.

"Cool. What does your dad do anyway?" Amaya asked.

"He's a businessman. They sometimes call him to deal with foreign affairs but mostly he's the behind the scenes guy, you know. Making sure his department is running smoothly and working with other departments for things and stuff." I shrugged. "Well, that's what I've gotten from him when he talks about work."

"Huh." Was all she said.

"Still, you're really good at it. Do you practice?" Katsu asked.

"Yeah. With my dad or sometimes with your sister." I looked at Amaya. She looked pleased.

"Yeah. Sis has been learning to speak English. She says it was just in case foreigners come to the bar or if she ever goes out of the country."

I nodded. "She told me too, when I caught her practicing in the breakroom."

"Hey can you help me with my English?" Katsu asked me. "I mean, besides the homework I'd like to get better at speaking and writing it. It's really cool learning English. Maybe I should learn another language." He mused.

I rubbed my neck sheepishly. "No, no you don't want me. I'm terrible at explaining things."

He smiled. "Don't worry you'll do great."

"Ah, if you think so, then I'll try my best."

"That's great and all but can we get back to the homework. I'm tired of looking at it and I want to go home already." Amaya grumbled.

"Sorry." I said.

"Don't apologize Shisui-kun. Amaya-chan is just being grumpy." Katsu said.

"I'm not! I just don't want to spend the rest of my afternoon doing work."

I nodded in agreement. "I too don't want to spend the rest of the day doing homework so let's finish and so you two can head home."

"What about you?" Katsu said.

"I have to buy groceries for dinner."

"Oh."

We continued to do the homework. I would go over some of the work with both of them, Katsu would listen and ask questions if he didn't understand and Amaya would complain about us taking longer than necessary. We both ignored her. But we did finish the assignments. I bid both of them goodbye and headed to my mom's workplace.

"Hey mom." I said, once I entered the flower shop.

"Hey sweetheart. Came to pick up the grocery money?" She said. It looked like she was on cashier duty today.

"Yeah."

She hummed. "I don't feel like cooking tonight. Since your father won't be home today, let's buy sushi. That sound good to you?"

"Yeah."

I paused.

"Wait, dad won't be home today?"

My mom shook her head. "No. He called me to say he wouldn't be home for a while, so I don't know when we'll see him."

I frowned. "That sucks. Want me to take some extra clothes to his workplace?"

It sucked that I wouldn't be able to see him. He hadn't been home in the last couple of weeks. It made me worry.

' _But now that I think about it, he has been rather busy these past few weeks. Maybe something came up?'_

"Are you sure?" she said worriedly. "You've never been in that area before; I don't want you to get lost."

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Just tell me the way or write directions to the place if you want."

She bit her lip. "Alright, if you're sure."

I nodded. "I am. Besides I'm worried about him. Gotta make sure he hasn't drowned in work. You know how he gets."

She chuckled. "Alright, alright. Just…" she took out a small notepad and a pen from her apron. "let me write down the directions to the place." She began writing. "I'm going to put some landmarks next to some of the street names so you know if you're close or not."

"Okay."

Once she was finished writing down the direction, she ripped the paper out of the notepad and handed it to me. I nodded my thanks and was about to leave but then remembered something.

"What about the sushi?"

"Don't worry about it. Just call me when you get there, okay."

"Alright."

* * *

' _I'm lost.'_

Was all Shisui could think.

After he had visited his mom he had went home to change and get his dad some clean clothes. And because he wasn't sure if his dad had eaten yet he had bought his dad lunch on the way.

It had been easy following the directions at first but now….

He looked around the area trying to find the sign with the weirdly drawn pig on it. It was one of the landmarks his mom had written on the paper but for the life of him he couldn't find it. Even the people he had asked didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Now here he was lost and freaked out because he didn't know where the heck he was. He had thought about going into one of the stores to call his mom but he didn't want to trouble her. Besides if she came here he didn't think he would be able to find her in this crowd.

He sighed.

He continued to walk around aimlessly. Stopping every once in a while to look around and see if he could at least recognize where he was but just concluded he was getting even more lost. He sighed again and was just about to enter a store and just call him mom for help when a voice called out his name.

"Ara, ara if it isn't Nishimura-kun." Urahara said approaching the teen. He had a cheerful grin on his face.

Shisui turned to look at the man. "Ah…Urahara-san."

The man pouted. "How cruel of you Nishimura-kun to forget my name!"

"Sorry. I've been a bit distracted." He said giving the man a small smile.

"What seems to have your attention Nishimura-kun?" the blonde asked cheerfully.

Shisui looked at the ex-captain. The older man didn't seem the type, to him anyway, to help others unless it benefited him. He vaguely recalled that one short after the end of a bleach episode where Ichigo kept asking Urahara for things and in turn the teen had to lug boxes around the man's shop as thanks. He wondered if the man wanted something from him. He didn't think he had done anything suspicious or strange recently or in the past when the man would visit the bar. Maybe he just wanted someone to annoy.

"Maa, maa, Nishimura-kun I know I'm quite handsome to look at but I don't think a crowed street is the place to admire my good looks. People might talk." Urahara said teasingly from behind his fan.

Shisui snapped out of his thoughts. He rubbed his neck embarrassingly. "Sorry, sorry. Can't help admiring a good-looking man when I see one. With good fashion sense to boot. Don't think I could pull it off though" he pointed at his hair. "might clash with my hair." He gave the man a smile.

The older man grinned, fanning himself cheerfully. "Maa you're too kind Nishimura-kun, I'm blushing." He looked at the teen from behind his fan. "But enough about my good looks. What brings you to the busiest part of town Nishimura-kun? You don't seem the type to venture into unfamiliar places."

"Ah, it's a bit embarrassing really. I'm lost. Don't suppose you can help me. If you're not too busy that is." The teen asked.

The older man hummed, pretending to think about it. The kid was interesting. He didn't seem to mind the eccentricities and loudness that the Visored always brought with them. And from what Shinji had told him the other day he was fun to tease, shame he wasn't there for that. Plus, he could use this opportunity to bother the kid into working for him. He could always use another henchman to boss around.

"Alright."

"Thanks, I don't suppose you know how to get to this building here." Shisui said, pointing to the paper in his hand.

Urahara leaned a bit forward to take a closer at the piece of paper. "Hmmm. What business do you have going there? Have a secret lover Nishimura-kun?"

The teen laughed. "Unfortunately no. I just need to give this" he motioned to the duffle bag in his other hand. "to my dad."

Urahara snapped his fan shut, giving the boy a grin. "Then let's not keep him waiting Nishimura-kun. Follow me."

They walked in the opposite direction the teen had been going in. Shisui mentally smacked himself. If Urahara hadn't seen him, he probably would have gotten even more lost than he already was.

They walked side by side, making turns here and there. Shisui had difficulty trying to keep up with Urahara's longer and fast paced strides. He had a sneaking suspicion that the older man was making his strides longer and faster just to see him catch up. Bastard.

"Tell me Nishimura-kun, have you thought about my offer." Urahara began.

"Offer?" the boy asked, confused.

"Eh." He drawled, a pout on his face. "How cruel of you to not remember Nishimura-kun. It was quite the deal too."

The teen thought about it for a moment. Trying to remember what the other was talking about. While Urahara did visit the bar with the Visored, he never came often like they did. When he did come with the others he never talked, just watched what was going on around him. And he'd never spoken to the teen directly like the others, the only time he could think of that they actually talked was…

"Wait, are you talking about that time you offered me a job at your shop? That was a while back, you still haven't found someone?" Shisui said, looking at the older man.

He sighed sadly. "No, I haven't."

Shisui hummed. "Don't worry, you'll find someone soon Urahara-san."

"But I want you." The man said looking at the boy.

"Why?" the teen asked curious but also a bit suspicious.

Urahara grinned behind his fan. "You don't seem to mind the exuberant energy that Shinji and his gang always seem to bring wherever they go and most of my clients are a bit…eccentric themselves."

The teen stopped walking and looked at the ex-captain. "I don't do shady things and I won't work for illegal businesses Urahara-san. Just because I complimented you doesn't mean you don't look shady as heck."

The ex-captain blinked, a bit surprised at what the teen said before laughing.

Shisui huffed. "Well it's true. Maybe that's the reason someone hasn't come to you for a job. That would probably be my reason."

Urahara pouted. Shisui resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Does that mean you won't accept my job offer."

Shisui gained a thoughtful look on his face as they continued walking. Urahara probably had a reason to want him as an employee or he really needed someone to come work for him. He knew the other had a guy with dreads and two kids working for him. He knew that the guy with dreads had been exiled along with Urahara and the Visored. But they never explained how Urahara came to know the two kids. There had been many theories circling around the two kids, one that he saw frequently was that the shopkeeper had created them. It seemed likely, the man is a scientist. But who knows, they never said anything about them in the anime or the manga. Maybe Urahara hadn't created them yet or hadn't hired them yet.

"I'll think about it. I know Kurosaki-san doesn't need me as often as she did before. But I do help her from time to time plus I have school." The pink-haired teen finally said.

The man pouted.

"But I might" the older man brightened. " _might_ be able to help you out once school's out. We'll see."

Urahara grinned. "Great! You're hired, you start next week. Don't be late." Quickening his pace so that the teen would have trouble catching up.

The teen spluttered. "Wha-Hey!" Shisui quickened his pace trying to catch up with the older man. "I said once school is out not during school! Urahara-san!"

The man just cheerfully whistled ignoring the protest from the boy.

* * *

"Ugh!" Shisui groaned from his splayed positon on the counter.

"Why so glum chum?" Hibiki asked. He was also in a similar position.

"Urahara-san is a big butthole and I hope when he uses the toilet there's no toilet paper! I'm never asking him for directions again!" Shisui said, scowling at the table.

Hibiki just looked confused. "Who?"

"You know, Urahara-san. Guy with the stripped hat, looks kinda shady and suspicious. He sometimes comes here with Hirako-san and the others." The teen elaborated, waving one of his arms in the air.

"Ohhh, that guy. Yeah, yeah I remember him. What about him?"

The teen pouted. "Yesterday I had to take my dad some things because he won't be home for a while, something came up at work. I've never been to my dad's job before so my mom wrote directions for me to follow and I was good for most of the walk there but then I got lost. I was about to call my mom but then Urahara-san spotted me and I asked him if he could show me the way if he wasn't too busy and he said yes, which was good because I was just aimlessly walking around. So he took me to my dad's job and on the way there he asked me if I was still interested in working for him. At first I was confused, like what are you talking about, but then I remembered. Then I was like you still haven't found anyone and he was like no so I was like you'll find someone soon. But he said no I want you and I was a bit creeped out and asked why. And he said I was good with dealing with very strange people and most of his customers are like that. Then I said I don't work for shady people but I thought maybe he actually needed people so I said I'll think about it but I probably won't be able to help you until school's over. Then he nodded and said great you'll start next week and I tried to protest but he made his strides longer so I wouldn't be able to catch up with him. Jerk."

The older man whistled. "That's impressive Shi-chan. What're you going to do?"

If it was possible the teen pouted further. "I _guess_ I'll help him out, but only on days that he really needs help. I've got things to do too you know."

The man hummed. "You're too nice Shi-chan."

The teen turned to face the older man. "I can be mean."

"Sure." A pause. "By the way, why are you here? Don't you come in tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It's just nobody's home and I was bored. I would have gone to see the kids but I didn't want to walk all the way over there and the bar's closer."

"Oh."

They lazed in comfortable silence. It was broken however by the sound of the breakroom door opening.

"Uh, what are you two doing?" Yuuko asked, giving the two weird looks.

"We're just lazing around since there aren't any customers." Hibiki replied. "Come join us." He patted the spot next to him.

She snorted. "No thanks. I don't want that damn geezer getting mad at me." She turned to look at Shisui. "Don't you come in tomorrow?"

"Yeah. But I was bored so I came here." The pink-haired boy said. He turned his head to look at her. "By the way, where's Tanaka-san?"

Yuuko did a weird little shuffle before mumbling something he couldn't quite hear.

After the whole thing that happened at the park, he and his little companions had said goodbye to Uryu and his grandfather with a promise to meet again. He had taken Ichigo and Tatsuki home before heading home himself. He then remembered that he had to see Yuuko and Tanaka but it was too late for him to head to the bar so he had called Kenji to see how things were going between Yuuko and Tanaka. He had been worried that the two hadn't come to some kind of peace or if they did it was with embarrassment for being scolded by a kid. But he was a bit surprised at what Kenji had told him. Both had felt terrible for the squabbles they always brought to the bar and the scolding they received was rightfully earned. They had apologized to Kenji for all the trouble they caused at the bar. The older man forgave them but not without giving them a punishment for all their idiotic squabbles as Kenji put it.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." the teen said.

She grumbled. "I said she's in the back. That damn geezer has us reorganizing and cleaning the storage room from top to bottom. It's a pain in the ass I tell you."

"It is, so why aren't you helping Tanaka with it. I didn't say you could take a break." Kenji said, appearing from the bar entrance. He frowned at the two practically laying on the bar counter. "And you two stop sleeping on the counter!"

"Ehhh. But Boss no one's here." Hibiki whined as he got off the counter.

"Yeah, Kenji-san there's no one here." Shisui said getting off the counter too.

Kenji snorted and pointed behind him. It was Shinji and his gang plus Urahara.

Hibiki whined. Kenji wacked the other man on the head before disappearing into the backroom, Yuuko following him at a slower pace.

The others entered the bar, heading to their usual spot at the bar counter.

"I heard the most interesting thing yesterday Nishimura. I never would have thought Nishimura-kun." Shinji said, giving the boy a shit eating grin. The others were confused but curious to know what Shinji was talking about. Urahara just looked smug.

Shisui groaned. "Whatever Urahara-san has told you Hirako-san" "Shinji." "Shinji-san it has just been blown out of proportion. Trust me." He looked at Urahara. "Just because I called you handsome doesn't mean you should let it go to your head Urahara-san."

The blond just fanned himself cheerfully. "But Nishimura-kun it was such a lovely compliment I couldn't just keep it to myself."

"If I remember clearly I then called you shady and said that you owned an illegal business." The teen said crossing his arms a frown on his face.

The man put on a hurtful look. "How cruel Nishimura-kun! I'm just a humble and honest shopkeeper."

"Not with that outfit." The teen retorted.

Shinji began to laugh. The others following him.

The ex-captain pouted. "But you said you liked my outfit."

Shisui resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I kinda wished I hadn't."

The Visored and Hibiki where now howling with laughter. Hibiki was pounding the counter along with Shinji, tears in their eyes.

"S-S-Shi-chan I never knew you could be so…" Hibiki breathed out before bursting into more laughter.

"Kid you're something." Shinji finally said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"You are definitely something Nishimura." Love agreed. He gave a big exhale. "Ah, I think I busted a gut from laughing so hard."

"Wait so" Lisa began, pointing at Shisui. "at some point yesterday you called Urahara attractive."

Shisui made a face. "Unfortunately."

Urahara gained a wounded look.

"Why?" she asked.

"Yesterday I got lost looking for where my dad worked. Urahara-san saw me and showed me the way." The teen replied.

Lisa shook her head. "I don't care about that. I mean _why_ did you call him attractive."

Rose and Love nodded along with what she was saying. They were curious to know what the kid found attractive about Urahara.

"Yes, do tell Nishimura-kun." Shinji said, grinning from ear to ear.

Everybody looked at the teen expectantly.

Shisui just gave an irritated huff, looking anywhere but at the group. "Can't someone just give a compliment without it being questioned."

"Awww! Shi-chan do you have a crush." Hibiki said, trying to pinch the teen's cheek. "How cute!"

Shisui swatted his hand away. "No I don't."

"Maa, I'm flattered Nishimura-kun." Urahara said cheerfully.

"I said I don't have a crush on you." The teen repeated.

Lisa patted his arm, a solemn expression on her face. "There, there there's no need to be ashamed of it. It's okay to find someone like Urahara handsome."

"Yeah, no need to be ashamed of who you like, kid." Love added.

Rose nodded. "Yes. Don't be afraid of it."

Shinji snickered and Urahara looked delightfully pleased.

Hibiki was cooing at the teen.

Shisui groaned.

' _Why.'_

* * *

"So how has your week been Shisui-kun?" Masaki asked me.

"Well…" I began thinking of my week.

' _Everyone at the bar thinks I have a crush on Urahara, which sucks cause they're never going to let me live it down I can just feel it; especially Urahara and Shinji those jerks. Assholes are probably going to bring it up every time they see me. Ugh! I hate my life. Oh, I also met Uryu and his grandpa, that was nice.'_

"…it's been eventful." I said instead. "What about you Masaki-san, how has your week been?"

"Oh, you know same as always. The girls have been all over the place, they got me and Isshin running around the house. We've had most of the house toddler proofed since they're so curious. Isshin is completely wrapped around their little fingers one look from their big eyes and he's at their beck and call." She said smiling.

I laughed. "I have no doubt. They've pulled those eyes on me too. It's hard to say no."

She laughed. "Yes I know what you mean. Ichigo too, he can't say no to them. It breaks his heart. He's a good big brother, he's always making sure they're okay when he's back from school and the dojo. He's such a sweet boy."

I hummed in agreement. Today was Saturday and I was helping Masaki with the groceries while Isshin was taking care of the kids. It was one of those rare days I didn't have to do homework or go to work. It was good. I spent most of the morning lazing around the house until my mom kicked me out, so I began walking around. I had thought about going to the bar but I didn't feel like dealing with Hibiki because I knew he would just tease me about my 'crush'. I then thought about going to Urahara's shop to complain about my sudden job, but then I remembered I didn't know where it was. In the end I decided to go see the Kurosaki family and see if they didn't mind having someone over. Of course I had gotten there just in time for Masaki to drag me to help her with the shopping.

"Ah, we're home." She said unlocking the door.

"My sweet and beautiful wife! You have returned!" Isshin shouted, bounding over to Masaki. He looked relived. His face was covered in ink, stickers, and glitter.

I stifled a laugh.

Masaki laughed. "Isshin what happened to your face. You look hilarious."

Tears start streaming down his face.

"My beautiful wife our beautiful girls have used me as a canvas for their entertainment." He said, sobbing on her shoulder.

"There, there Isshin." Masaki said soothingly, petting his head.

I rolled my eyes.

"Mama!" Ichigo, Yuzu, and Karin shouted appearing at the doorway.

"Saku-niichan!" Ichigo said once he spotted me. The girls brightened once they saw me too.

I smiled. "Hey! Can I get a hug?"

I bent down being mindful of the groceries I had. The three walked over to give me a hug. I wrapped my arms around them, squeezing them tight. I gave them each a kiss on the forehead.

"Ahhh, you three are growing up so fast! You're getting cuter!" I said before standing up. I headed towards the kitchen.

"I'm a man Saku-niichan. Men can't be called cute, they're handsome." Ichigo said from behind me.

I laughed. I put the grocery bags on the table before turning around. I gave Ichigo a bow. "My apologies handsome, I didn't know."

I looked up to see him nod. Yuzu and Karin were giggling.

"Did you teach him that honey?" I heard Masaki ask Isshin. They were approaching the kitchen.

"But of course my beautiful wife! I am just teaching Ichigo to be a man among men!" Isshin said, laughing boisterously.

Masaki just smiled. "That's nice honey. Help me with the groceries? Shisui-kun can you watch the kids?"

"Yeah" I looked at the three. "You guys wanna go outside?"

They nodded.

"Can you help with some reading later Saku-niichan?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure."

"Play with Saku-chwan outswide." Yuzu said, Karin nodding her head.

"Alright, what do you guys wanna play?" I said heading to the back door.

"Ball!" the girls shouted.

I smiled. "Alright." I turned my head to look Ichigo. "What about you Ichigo?"

He shrugged. "I'm fine with what Yuzu and Karin want to play."

We headed outside and played ball.

We formed a small circle to throw the ball between the four of us. Karin and Yuzu where having fun and Ichigo was happy to see his sisters having fun. I was happy to see them happy. We played ball for a bit until the girls got bored and started throwing the ball amongst themselves, completely ignoring me and Ichigo. I just rolled my eyes. Ichigo decided this was a good time for me to help him with his reading so he went inside to get his book. I watched the girls until Ichigo came back with is book. It was a children's book but in English. We sat down on the grass.

"Can you help me pronounce some of the words, Saku-niichan?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to read it and listen to how I pronounce the words okay?" I said.

He nodded.

"Alright, if you get confused somewhere or if I'm going to fast let me know."

Another nod.

I began reading the book making sure I was reading it slowly. As I read I looked at Ichigo and then the girls.

They looked happy and full of life. Moments like this make me remember that soon these kids won't be happy and wont' look so full of life. Soon these kids won't have a mother who will love them and watch them grow up. It scared me to know that soon Masaki won't be among the living. It scared me to know that soon they won't be so content, especially Ichigo since he's going to be there when she dies. It made me want to cry because no child should see their parents die. It made me want to cry even more knowing that soon these kids and Isshin won't be the same without Masaki. Ever since I've gotten to know this family I could tell that she was a sun and her husband and kids planets. She kept balance in the family. And soon she'll be dead. I wanted to cry.

"Saku-niichan are you okay?" I heard Ichigo say.

It seems I spaced out a bit. I looked at his face, he seemed worried. I gave him a smile.

"Sorry Ichigo, I spaced out a bit. You got me thinking about my homework too." I told him.

He looked at me closely. For a moment I thought he knew what I was thinkin about but then he nodded. He patted my arm as if he was consoling me.

"It's okay to be sad about doing homework Saku-niichan. I don't like to do it either." He said.

I gave a small laugh. "You got that right Ichigo."

"Whose hungry?" I heard Masaki say from behind us.

"Me!" Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu said.

"Alright come inside then." She said.

Ichigo got his book and ran inside, Karin and Yuzu not far behind.

I got up to follow them but then I heard a cry. I looked up to see that Karen had fallen.

"Oh, sweetheart are you alright?" I said, walking over to her.

I picked her up and let her cry on my shoulder. I began rubbing her back. "Shhh there, there don't cry." I kissed her forehead. "Don't cry, you're okay."

I felt a tug on my pants. I looked down.

"Karin okay?" Yuzu asked me.

"Yeah, she'll be okay." I said.

"What happened?" Masaki said once she saw me carrying Karin inside.

"She fell on her way inside." I replied. Karin moved in my arms when she heard her mother.

"Mama!" Karin said, tears streaming down her face. She made grabbing motions toward her.

I gave her to Masaki.

"What?! My cute daughter is crying! Don't worry Karin your father will attack whoever made you cry!" Isshin shouted making a heroic pose.

She giggled and Masaki laughed.

I gave a small smile.

I didn't know when she died but…but I would try my best to try and prevent it if I could.

' _Soon things won't be like this but I'll enjoy the time I have. I'll do what I can to make sure they're happy no matter what. When that time comes…I'll be there for them.'_

* * *

"You seem a bit down today Nishimura-kun." Ishida Soken said, noticing that the teen was being more quiet than usual.

"I'm sorry Ishida-san, what where you saying about your son?" Shisui said, giving the man a sheepish smile.

The grey-haired man just looked at the teen. After that faithful day he and his grandson had met the teen and his charges. They had taken to visiting the same park in the hopes that they would see them again. They did of course. The teen would bring Ichigo most of the time, other times it would be both Ichigo and Tatsuki. Soken had been delighted that Uryu was interacting with other children his age. He loved his grandson and as much as he wanted to teach Uryu about the Quincy he also didn't want his life to only revolve around that, so that was how he had come up with the idea of taking Uryu to the park. Uryu complained that learning about the Quincy was more important and fun that playing with other kids but he had seen in his grandson's eyes that the boy enjoyed playing with the others. Soken was also glad to have met them, it was nice to have company and Nishimura was pleasant company. Although it seems that today something was bothering the young teen.

"Ryuken is a troublesome boy. Always at the hospital never home and if he is, it's to rest. He's a bit cold and seems uptight but that's just for show. Uryu has quite an effect on him though it's hard to see." He said.

"I'm sure he's not that bad Ishida-san. I mean if Uryu has an effect on him, then everything's good." The pink-haired teen said.

The old man huffed. "Even if Ryuken can't say no to his son, you haven't met him yet. Reserve judgement then."

Shisui chuckled. He looked at the playground where Ichigo, Uryu and Tatsuki were playing. He sighed.

"What wrong Nishimura-kun? You've been awful quiet today more so than usual." Soken repeated.

Shisui sighed.

"It's just…" He began, pausing to see how he would go about saying what was on his mind.

Death.

He knows that Masaki and Soken will die but he doesn't know when. He knows that a hollow will kill Masaki and a Shinigami will kill Uryu's grandfather. Spending time with these people has made him remember that soon these two people who are precious to Ichigo and Uryu will die and he could possibly prevent it.

"I've been having some morbid thoughts recently." The teen said.

"Oh." Soken said, interested in what would make the boy think such thoughts.

"Yeah." Shisui rubbed his neck nervously. "About death."

"Why is that?" the old man asked.

Shisui looked at Soken briefly before looking back at the playground. He couldn't tell the other man that he knew he was going to die and there was a slight chance he could stop it. But he didn't even know when it would happen.

"I don't know. I guess it came up recently when I was looking through some photos I found lying around my room while I was cleaning." He started. It was true. He had found some photos of when his family and Ichigo's had gone to the beach together last year. There were several photos some of which he needed to give to Masaki.

"Most of the photos weren't even mine some of them were my parents. One of them was a picture of a woman who looked similar to my mom. I asked her about it, said it was one of her cousins. She died recently, but if she was still alive my mom told me she would have liked me. Something about similar personalities or something. She didn't seem all that sad about it and when I pointed it out she said her cousin didn't want her family to cry or be sad about her being gone. She wanted her family to know that she would still be with them in their hearts and loved her life and the people in it."

"How did she die if you don't mind me asking?"

"She was protecting her friend from a mugger."

"And?" He asked.

"And?" Shisui repeated, giving the man a puzzled look.

"And what are your thoughts Nishimura-kun? What do you think of death?" Soken said.

"I…I like to believe that death is just another adventure for us to take. It's a part of life and people should accept it. It's the unknown, we don't know much about it, I think we should find it interesting like how we find the ocean and space interesting." The pink-haired teen said, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt.

Soken hummed. "That's an interesting thing to say Nishimura-kun."

Shisui blushed, embarrassed. "Yeah, I know."

He thought about how he died. How in his last moments of death, much like his cousin, he was grateful to have lived life and to have known the people in it. And even though it came as a shock to him to know he was born again, he was glad because maybe somewhere in this universe or in another universe those who have died were given another chance at life.

They sat in silence.

Shisui laughed a bit. "Ahh, let's talk about something else before people suspect we're up to something Ishida-san."

The man chuckled.

"Saku-niichan!" Ichigo shouted, waving one of his arms frantically above his head.

The teen looked back at the playground a worried look on his face.

"What happened Ichigo?!" he said getting up from his spot to walk over to the boy.

There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him, just a bit dirty here and there.

"My shirt got ripped." Ichigo whined, once Shisui was a bit closer.

"Oh no. How did that happen?" the teen said, looking at the rip in Ichigo's shirt.

"It was caused by that piece of metal sticking out of the slide. Thankfully he didn't get a cut." Uryu said, pushing up his glasses.

"Thank goodness you weren't hurt Ichigo, you too Uryu." The teen said, giving the two a smile.

Ichigo grinned.

Uryu blushed.

Shisui sighed, he looked at the hole. "Bummer that I didn't bring an extra shirt for you. I just brought some snacks and juice."

"That is alright Shisui-san. I can fix it." The black-haired boy said. His glasses flashed in the sunlight.

"Eh, really? Cool. Come on you two time for a break."

The three walked over to their usual spot. Ichigo and Uryu would sit with Soken while Shisui would stand. The teen handed over the juice boxes and snacks to the two boys and Soken.

"Grandpa I need to fix Ichigo's shirt. Can I have my sewing kit?"

"Oh? How'd that happen?" Soken asked.

"A piece of metal on the slide." Ichigo replied biting into his onigiri.

"How dangerous. We should probably report that." He said.

Shisui nodded.

They ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the beautiful day.

Once Uryu was done with his snack he asked Ichigo if he could take of his shirt so he could fix it. Ichigo complied and everyone watch amazed as Uryu inspected the shirt and swiftly fixed it. The hole was gone all that was left was a little cross where the hole used to be. Shisui clapped and praised the boy for his sewing skills. Uryu blushed. Ichigo was also impressed he inspected his shirt, feeling where the cross was. He thanked Uryu too.

Having only been praised by his grandfather and his father on the occasion that he was home, Uryu was unused to others complimenting him.

"T-there's no need for that!" Uryu stammered out, face as red as a tomato. "We're friends right? Friends do stuff for each other."

Ichigo gave him a toothy grin. "Course we're friends" he put his arm around Uryu's shoulder.

Soken and Shisui smiled at the two.

* * *

 **Chapter 5 for ya. Sorry for grammatical errors.**

 **Chapter title Kooks by David Bowie.**

 **Sorry for the wait I started my classes this week and like always a lot of stuff to do. So I'll be busy but don't worry to make up for this I'm going to make the chapters longer. I've also written some shorts that take place in between the chapters and the potential future of this story so I'll get those in order and probably post them.**

 **Next chapter exciting stuff happens.**

 **Thanks for the reviews.**

 **Comment, review, critique or whatever else you think of the story.**

 **Thanks to those who favorited and followed.**

 **Thanks to whoever else is reading.**

 **Don't own Bleach.**


	7. Interlude 1

Interlude 1: That time Kenji didn't know what to make of Shisui

 **A/N: Italics are mini-flashbacks if confused. Trying something new with doing flashbacks and the like.**

* * *

He would never admit it no matter how much Yuuko teased him about it. But he liked having the kid around. It was nice, _really_ nice. Better than dealing with his niece whose only two moods are loud and louder.

He wished he had met the boy sooner, preferably before that shithead Honda. He can only imagine what that old hag did around the boy.

 _The damn woman cackled._

 _He growled. "What's so damn funny, ya hag."_

 _He only came to visit her because Shunsui was babysitting those damn brats of his. And Yuuko and those other brats were being more annoying than usual since the boy wasn't there._

" _You, you shithead. Gotten fond of the brat, haven't ya? I can see it all over your face." she grinned at him like someone who won a bet._

" _Also Yuuko's been around."_

 _He narrowed his eyes. "What about it hag? Better than dealing with my niece."_

 _Honda laughed. "Well that's two of us." She raised her bottle of sake in a toast._

 _He snorted but raised his glass of whiskey as well._

The kid was good, that was all he was going to say. His niece liked to spew flowery bullshit about how the kid was more than just good, it was annoying hearing the same thing over and over.

He was a good kid, but the kid was too kind, too nice, too easy to trust others. It was like it was impossible for the kids to be mean to people.

Later on this would cause problems for the kid _and_ boy where they problems.

Anyway.

Touch, he had noticed was one of the kids' main ways of showing affection. It was weird being on the receiving end of that affection. In all his life none he has never had anyone shower him with affection the way the kid does to him and his niece.

It sounds weird, he should feel like a dirty old man, but he doesn't.

He'd come to realize that maybe the kid was just strange.

Yuuko thought the kid was being neglected. In a game of rock-paper-scissors they had decided who would bring the topic up.

He won of course.

" _How's life brat?" he asked, looking at the boy. It was a quiet day. Not many customers at this time._

 _The kid looked at him, a bit surprised. Yuuko straightened on the stool she was sitting on._

"… _It's okay." He replied after a bit of silence. He went back to wiping the tables._

 _Yuuko frowned at him, waving the magazine in her hand at him as a threat._

 _He snorted._

" _Just 'okay'. Nothin' interesting or of importance to talk about." He tired._

 _Another pause as the kid thought about it a bit more. "…well my mother just got a request to create the weirdest bouquet and my dad's been busy with work. Ah, but we did go to the beach last week which was nice. I also saw a cat on…"_

So maybe there wasn't any kind of neglect going on at home from the way the kid was describing that cat he saw. He had shrugged it off and just put it as a weird quirk the kid had.

It wasn't until he was almost hit by a car that he understood why the kid was so affectionate.

" _Brat. What are you doing?" he asked, blinking at the pink hair that was suddenly in his vision._

 _Shisui realized that hugging the daylights out of his boss might look weird and scrambled away. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment._

" _Sorry, sorry Kato-san." He said, twiddling his thumbs. "It's just I heard from Hashimoto-san that you were almost hit by a car yesterday. I got a bit worried."_

 _A bit is an understatement._

 _He took in the boy's appearance, shirt askew, pants zipper open, shoes untied. The boy's eyes were glossy as if he was going to cry any minute._

 _The boy gave him a small smile. "But it's good to see you're well." He sat on the barstool next to him. "From the way Hashimoto-san was telling me it seemed like you were really hurt."_

 _He snorted. "That damn girl likes to exaggerate anything that deals with me. You should know that by know."_

 _The boy gave a weak laugh. "Yeah. She sure likes to insult you any chance she gets."_

 _He stared at the boy and sighed. "You…"_

 _Shunsui snapped out of the staring contest he was having with the table. "I'm sorry?"_

 _He patted the kid's back awkwardly. "You're a strange kid Shunsui."_

 _He tugged the kid a bit closer so his chin was resting on the kid's head. "Don't go worrying like crazy just cause of a little accident."_

 _The brat stilled when he pulled him in for a hug relaxing after a while._

" _Yeah, yeah. You're fine. You're okay. Sorry, sorry." The brat mumbled, wiping his eyes to hide the fact that he was about to cry._

 _He hugged the kid a bit more tightly._

" _Stop apologizing kid, it's annoying."_

 _The boy gave a small laugh. "Sorry."_

Lost. The boy looked lost.

And alone. Can't forget alone.

He hid it very well, but in moments of solitude he gained this look in his eye.

The brat looked like he was looking for something—someone—he could see it in the way the boy moved.

Always turning his head with a bright smile on his face to the right about to say something, but then realizing nobody was at his side. Leaning towards the right like he was expecting someone to be there.

He was used to someone else being by his side. Used to having someone near him.

After this discovery, he wondered if he had lost someone he was close to recently. A brother, a family member or even a friend.

On one of the days it was his turn to escort the kid home, he had asked the boy's mother.

" _I've noticed that your son seems a bit…sad at times. If you don't mind me asking but has something happened recently?" he asked the mother once he was sure the boy was out of earshot._

 _She turned away from the door to face him. "No," she finally said, after the impromptu staring contest. "Nothing has happened recently. Shi-chan…I mean Shisui he's…he's always looked like that."_

 _She bit her lip, looking away from him. "I, I don't know what caused it but he's always had that melancholy air about him when he thinks no one's looking. My husband and I we've never done anything to hurt him, we love him immensely, always making sure he's happy, supporting him in whatever he does. He seems happy but, but I can't help but wonder if we went wrong somewhere…"_

 _Neither adult talked, letting what the woman had said hang in the air._

"You happy kid?" he asked one day, hoping that maybe he had been overthinking the whole thing.

"I'm fine." was all he said.

" _He's doing better you know, not good but better." the mother said, breaking the silence. "When he was younger he would keep the other kids at a distance, he'd play with them but he seemed…off, like he wasn't used to playing with kids his own age. He was also a quieter and politer child."_

 _She turned back to face him. "I think working at your establishment has helped a bit. He seems more cheerful."_

 _He shook his head. "I doubt it."_

 _She waved away his answer. "He talks about you and, what was it, Hashimoto-san a lot. He always seems happy when he does…I think he loves you and Hashimoto-san."_

 _He balked. He started waving his hands in the air. "Woah now! I'm not interested in mi-"_

 _She cut him off with a chuckle. "No Kato-san, god no, he…he sees you as nakama…"_

When he heard that he was shocked beyond belief.

Secretly he was pleased to know that this little squirt saw him as nakama.

"Nakama huh?" he mumbled out loud. He put down the cup he was cleaning back in its place and grabbed another one.

Maybe that was what the kid needed, a bond that couldn't—wouldn't—break no matter how much is put on it to break it.

The sound of someone entering the bar reached his ears but he didn't look up from the intense glare he was giving the cup in his hand.

"Hey Kenji-san I brought you dumplings." Shisui said brightly.

He looked up to give the boy a gruff nod. "Brat."

Shisui gave him a smile.

He didn't know if he was able to meet whatever expectations this kid had set up for him.

The bar door opened again, bringing more familiar faces inside.

"Yo Nishimura-san, Kato-san."

"Kato-san, Nishimura-kun. It's good to see you two are doing well."

"Nishimura-kun, Kato-kun."

"Yo Kato-san, Nishimura-kun."

But.

"Shi-chan! What about me?! I want dumplings too."

"Himura-san, Nishimura-san always brings dumplings for everyone. You should know this by now."

"Maa…Tanaka-san quit giving me that face. It's scary."

"Dumplings? I hope you made some for us to Nishimura, since Love here ate the dumplings you sent us."

"I said I was sorry Lisa."

"Sorry doesn't bring back fee food Love."

"Damn."

"Oi, shitty old man!"

"Shat up Yuuko."

"Ah?!"

But.

Glancing at his side he was able to make out the huge smile on Shisui's face.

"Of course! I brought enough for everyone."

But he didn't think he was alone on this one. There were others who would help out Shisui too.

"Shunsui there's some plates and utensil in the back if you need them."

"Thanks Kenji-san!"

"Old man, how many times I gotta tell ya! His name's Shisui!"

"…ah."

* * *

 **Haha…ha…ah.**

 **So here's a bit of a look at how one of the people in Shisui's life sees him. I'm planning to do one for each of the people in his life, not just his classmates, parents, and those at the bar but the Visored, Kurosaki family, and those at the Urahara shop. I feel it'll help me out in writing from other people's perspectives and seeing how I characterize them especially those from the manga.**

 **This is also a thing to let you guys know that I'm still alive and haven't just left this story to rot.**

 **I'm still writing chapter six. I keep editing while writing so yeah. I feel it's going to be a long chapter. After chpt six I'm going to start chapter seven so when I update again y'all will get two chapters and probably another interlude since I have a bunch of them.**

 **So thanks for reading.**

 **Comment, review, critique, and whatever else you do to a story.**

 **Don't own Bleach.**


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